Space
by IHEARTTEKKEN
Summary: Set in 1985 before the events of the Tekken game series, Lee Chaolan has decided to move to New York City with his best friend, Nina Williams, in order to put some distance between himself and his family. However, strong feelings and unfinished business make it difficult for Lee to get the space he is desperately seeking. Featuring: Lee, Kazuya, Nina, Anna, and Heihachi.
1. August 1985

Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken or any of the Tekken characters.

August 1985- New York City

"It's on our lease- you're not supposed to smoke in here."

"Yeah… well, if we lose the security deposit, Heihachi can cover it," Lee replied with a shrug, taking another drag of his menthol cigarette.

"Aye- so that's how it's going to be? When things go wrong, your Dad can cover it?" Nina teased with a sardonic smile.

"Fuck you- he's not my Dad," Lee replied, snuffing out his half smoked cigarette in an ashtray he had stolen from a high-end Tokyo hotel.

"Sorry. I can't help but think of him as your Dad. I know you don't call him that, but I remember watching Disney movies at your home theater and your Da- Heihachi making us Jiffy Pop, so yeah, sorry."

Lee sighed as brushed his left hand through his silver hair. Lee had known Nina Williams since Heihachi had adopted him at the age of twelve. The Williams girls had only been seven and at the time hadn't been very interesting to Lee or Kazuya- on any level. However, Richard Williams had been one of Heihachi's business associates, so Lee and Kazuya had been instructed to play nice with the Williams girls. Initially, that had meant watching stupid movies and babysitting, but gradually it came to mean teaching the girls to play pool, midnight joy rides, and skinny dipping. More recently, it had translated into something of an on-again, off-again relationship between Kazuya and Anna and a best friendship between Lee and Nina. So when Lee decided he needed space- an ocean and continent's worth of space- he had asked Nina if she wanted to come to New York with him. Nina had agreed without a moment's hesitation. That made him a little nervous that she might be expecting their relationship to change. He was concerned that broaching the topic with her might make things more difficult, so he didn't say anything. He knew that eventually they'd have to talk about it, but he wasn't looking forward to the conversation.

"I was just teasing; I'm sorry- don't be mad, okay?" Nina asked, now giving Lee a genuine smile.

"I'm not mad. I just don't want to talk about him, okay?"

"That's fine," Nina replied, deciding not to point out that Lee had brought him up in the first place.

"So, cool. So, do you want some tea? What do you want to do tonight?" Lee asked.

"Tea would be great… uh, anything would be fine tonight- we can't be out too late, though. I have that hostess job interview tomorrow."

"That's right. Yeah. The thing that the agency found for me starts on Monday. I keep forgetting you have stuff before that," Lee replied moving towards the stove to start working on the tea.

"That's okay. It's barely worth remembering," Nina murmured, taking two mugs from the dish drainer.

"Don't get down on it. It's good. I'm proud of you."

Nina smiled.

"We don't have to go out tonight. We can stay in. I can cook something," Lee offered, tying the tea bags to the handles of the cups as he always did.

"Is that a threat, Chaolan?"

"Ah, fuck you. I make a lot of things well."

"Aye, but the last time you tried to feed me squid."

"It was good. You didn't even try it."

"Aye, and I won't be trying it when you cook up a nice batch of cat, either."

"Bitch, I'll make the best cat chow-mein you ever tasted!"

Nina made a gagging noise in response.

"Not really. I'll make my famous stir-fried choy sum."

"Whysit famous?"

"Because people liked it," Lee replied, pouring water from the kettle into the mugs.

Nina wanted to know which "people"; his family or any girls he may have dated, but she didn't dare ask.

"What type of meat is in it?"

"There isn't any. I suppose I could do some chicken or something if-"

"No, that's great. I'll take it the way it is. After all, you _are _famous for it."

"Cool. That's what we'll do then." Lee replied, smiling as he sat down on the loveseat in the living room with his tea.

"Cool," Nina agreed, opening the refrigerator for milk to put in her tea. Sure enough it was all very nice, but what did it all mean?


	2. September 1985

September 1985

Lee couldn't believe it. Couldn't fucking believe it. He had gone half a world away for some space and here was Kazuya at his damn door and he had barely been gone a month. Still in his light grey suit from work with his lavender tie barely loosened and a beer in his hand, Lee nearly jumped out of his skin when the buzzer went off. Realizing that he had spilled some of his Heineken on his Italian loafer, Lee cursed as he moved to answer the buzzer.

"Who is it?"

"Guess."

But he didn't have to guess. It was Kazuya.

"Kazuya, what are you doing here?" Lee hissed into the speaker.

"Let me up. I'll explain."

Exasperated, Lee pushed the button and to let his brother in. When he opened the door, Kazuya embraced him with a smile.

"Hey! You look good. This looks like a rough part of town. Is it a money thing? Because I could-"

"No, Kazuya. It's not a money thing. If I was worried about it, I could use what I had in savings or ask Heihachi or whatever. I just wanted to do this without all that. I just wanted to work and make my own way. Why are you here? To spy on me?"

"No. Anna wanted to see some fashion shows- Fashion Week, you know? Hey, maybe Nina would want to go to some of that stuff with her? Get me off the hook?" Kazuya asked as he looked around Lee and Nina's small apartment. The kitchen and living room were essentially one good sized room with a counter separating the two spaces. What must have been the bedroom door was closed and Kazuya determined that the bathroom must have been adjacent to the bedroom. Kazuya thanked Lee as he wordlessly handed him a Heineken and sat down on the loveseat in the living room.

"You know she won't want to do that. Nina doesn't care about that sort of thing and you know how she feels about Anna," Lee replied.

"Yeah, but Anna feels bad about all that. She wants to make things up with Nina. Since she's been gone, Anna's really missed her."

"Touching," Lee replied, taking a slug of his beer, wishing that he could smoke in the damn apartment.

"Well, Anna might be as selfish as a child, but at least she wants things to be better with her sister. From the best I can tell, Nina doesn't seem to care."

"I'm not getting into this. Nina is my friend; Anna is your girlfriend. I'm not betraying confidences and I'm not going to say potentially unpleasant things to you about your girlfriend."

Kazuya laughed.

"And Nina- she's not your girlfriend?"

"No."

"There's only one bedroom in this apartment," Kazuya pointed out.

"And one bed. What of it? People can share a bedroom without being involved."

"Yeah, but why aren't you involved? You could be _involved_."

"Maybe, but I- that's not- that's not why I'm here with her," Lee replied, obviously growing frustrated with the line of questioning.

"Then why are you here? Man, things aren't the same. Work sucks without you. My Dad is being a complete prick. Anna wants to get all serious all of a sudden. I have to do karaoke by myself," Kazuya ranted to his best friend. In truth they had been best friends since six weeks after Lee's arrival in the Mishima household. Heihachi's plan to have the two boys become rivals backfired horribly. Though Kazuya's first inclination was to be hateful and jealous of the newcomer, he was far too lonely to keep up the animosity for any length of time. In actuality he had been thrilled to acquire a brother.

"Well, if Anna is so serious, then she can be your karaoke partner," Lee replied with a smirk.

"No… first of all, have you ever heard her sing? And she just thinks it's boring and stupid. She won't even go to watch."

"Well, after hearing you sing "Suspicious Minds" about nine million times, I could see where it could get a little tedious."

"Oh, fuck you. You know that's not my only song. Dude, we sang "When the Doves Cry" together. How could you forget?"

"I haven't forgotten. You were so drunk you almost fell off the stage. I had to go up there with you," Lee replied smiling at the hilarious memory.

"Fine. Maybe you had to go up there to make sure I didn't fall off of the stage, but you didn't have to sing the song with me."

"It would've looked weirder if I didn't. Anyway, it was fun. I'm not saying I didn't like it. I just could just see where Anna would have that attitude," Lee replied.

"Yeah. Anything we do if it's not exactly what she wants to do, it's a problem, you know?"

Lee nodded. He could see that.

"Maybe I picked the wrong sister."

"No take-backs. I don't want to be stuck with that."

Kazuya laughed. He didn't blame Lee.

"Where is Nina anyway?" Kazuya asked, looking around as if she might be hiding somewhere in the apartment.

"Working. She has this job as a hostess in an Italian restaurant. She gets to bring home leftovers a lot. It's pretty cool."

"No offense, but I can't really see your girl as a hostess. I mean, she's not really the friendly type."

"She's not my girl, but she can be friendly. You know, most of the time when you see her, Anna's there so she's on edge. Do you mind if we go out to the fire escape?" Lee asked, picking his cigarettes up from the coffee table.

"That's fine," Kazuya replied, getting up to follow Lee to the fire escape. Once outside, Lee lit his cigarette and looked out at the city. It was a warm September day- not even close to feeling like fall. Kazuya took a sip of his beer.

"So... are you working?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes... why else would I be dressed this way?" Lee asked.

"Bull- you're a pretty snazzy dresser, Chaolan. It wasn't as dumb as a question as you want to pretend it was."

"Fine," Lee conceded, "But, yeah, I got the job through a temp agency. It's a temp to hire thing, so that's good. Basically, I'm an assistant in a human resources department. Not that much different that the stuff I did when I had those internships at the Zaibatsu before I started working in the lab."

"Those internships were the worst. Remember when he put me in the mailroom?" Kazuya asked, hitting Lee's arm playfully.

"Yeah, but that was after he found you high and naked making sand angels in his Zen garden," Lee pointed out.

"Still defending him?" Kazuya asked, eyes flashing with a strange mixture of hurt, jealousy, and playfulness.  
"No. Just cause and effect. You know how he is about the Zen garden," Lee replied. "Plus, at least you got to do some different stuff. I was in HR for three summers until he finally moved me to the lab, which is what I wanted to do in the first place, but he wouldn't listen to me until I started at the University."

"I just finished up my MBA and he still doesn't listen to me," Kazuya replied with a shrug. "Do you like what you're doing?"

"Yeah, in a sense," Lee replied, taking a long drag on his cigarette.

"In a sense?"

"Yeah. I like making my own money and feeling like it matters. Now I have to save money and solve my own problems and in return, I'm free," Lee replied, his entire face lighting up as he spoke the last phrase.

"That's great. I'm glad you're happy."

They stood in silence for a moment. Kazuya sipped his beer and Lee smoked his cigarette in the now waning September sunlight.

"It's not me, right? I'm not the reason you're here?" Kazuya blurted, looking at his brother obviously concerned that he had chased away his best friend.

"Absolutely not," Lee lied, with a reassuring smile. "It's him."

"Yeah. I thought so. I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but he's a wreck without you."

"It doesn't," Lee replied, wondering what Kazuya knew about him and Heihachi anyhow. They had never talked about it, but he had suspected for a while that Kazuya had known something and quite clearly he did.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you were doing alright. I've been driving your Corvette. Just to let you know, I moved the seat; don't tweak out when you get back."

Lee laughed. Kazuya knew him so well.

"Also, I bought this Hawaiian scented air freshener thing. Your car smells like an ashtray, my friend."

"Well at least it doesn't smell like a gym bag," Lee teased referring to the consistently unpleasant odor of any of the cars Kazuya had ever owned due to his apparent inability to remove his gym clothes from the backseat and launder them.

"Soon it will. Like a big sweaty, Hawaiian ashtray. What then?"

"Then you owe me a new car."

"When you get back, it's a deal," Kazuya replied with a smile, extending a hand to his brother.

Lee shook his hand with a smile. He wasn't sure that he ever intended to go back.

"Kazuya was by today," Lee told Nina as casually as if he lived two blocks away after he had gotten into the bed and she had turned off the lights.

"Are you kidding?"

"No."

"Why is he here?"

"Fashion Week."

"No really."

"No, I'm serious. Anna really wants to go to some fashion shows and he's taking her- boyfriend stuff, you know?"

"Anna? Fuck's sake! What's she doing here?"

"She's just going to fashion shows. Don't worry about it. I told Kazuya that you don't want to see her and he understands," Lee replied.

"Yeah... but she'll push it. And since he knows where we live and she's so manipulative, if she decides she's coming here, that's that," Nina stated, moving closer to Lee so that he might hold her.

Lee took the hint and opened his arms to Nina. She smelled like marinara sauce.

"Don't worry about it. I told him explicitly not to bring her here."

"Good," Nina replied, wishing that Lee would make a move, but he just held her like a perfect gentleman.

"Yeah... but she is your sister. You know, someday you might feel like this was all a stupid waste and you might regret it."

Lee felt Nina's body tense as he made his comment. He thought she was going to rip herself away, but instead she took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"I think we're both here for somewhat similar reasons. I wanted to get away from my wenchy sister and you wanted to get away from your father because he's a controlling asshole. We both needed space and I don't appreciate Kazuya walking right into the middle of it with my stupid whore of a sister."

"I understand how you feel, but he wanted to make sure that I'm doing okay. I'm sorry I can't be irrationally angry at him for that," Lee snapped, letting her referring to Heihachi as his father drop this time.

Nina was silent for a moment. She knew she had gone too far.

"I'm sorry. I know he's your best friend. I just don't know what he sees in her and I just wish he didn't have to be with her because it's not like I'd even mind it he was around."

"Yeah. I'm not a particular fan of your sister either, but she just takes some handling. You just can't let her upset you like you do. You need to stop caring about comments she makes or the things she does just because she knows they get to you. You're giving her the power."

"You're right, but it's hard."

"Sure, but once you figure out how to do it, she won't have any power over you anymore and you'll be free."

"Sounds good. Better than freaking out because I know that she's entered my hemisphere," Nina replied with a yawn.

Lee just kissed the top of her head in response. As successfully as he'd freed himself from Heihachi, he knew it would be much harder to free himself from his feelings for Kazuya. Once Nina had fallen asleep and begun to drool slightly on his t-shirt clad chest, he moved her gently and lay awake wondering what where Kazuya was and what he was doing.

After leaving Lee's apartment, Kazuya headed back to the hotel on foot. It had begun to get a little cooler as the sun was setting. Kazuya stopped and bought a hotdog from a sidewalk vendor and ate it as he walked along, but not even one of his favorite guilty pleasure foods could snap him out of his funk. He wished he had asked Lee to come to dinner with him or something instead of just leaving, but it had gotten to the point where Lee wasn't talking so much and that typically meant that he wanted to be left alone. Kazuya didn't know what else to make of it, so he just left. Without calling him on it or making a plan to see him again, Kazuya just excused himself like he would've in the old days when Lee became taciturn and sulky.

Damn the old man, Kazuya thought as mustard dripped on his t-shirt. He didn't know the whole story. It had been the one thing he just couldn't talk about with Lee and one of the many things he would never talk about with his father.

He was almost positive that it hadn't been going on since Heihachi had adopted Lee, but he couldn't be completely sure. The first time and only time he had seen anything, it had been about seven years ago when Lee had been eighteen. It was a Friday night and Lee had invited him over for dinner, as Kazuya had moved out of his father's house shortly after his own eighteenth birthday almost a year ago and was still stubbornly adhering to his no cooking policy.

He still remembered Lee in his pinstriped pants and violet colored dress shirt. No jacket or tie, as it Friday and no lab coat because it was his last summer interning in the human resources department.

"Man cannot live on Beefaroni alone," Lee had teased, sitting on Kazuya's desk, straightening out his stacks of papers as he was wont to do.

"Don't you think I have better things to do on a Friday night, Chaolan?"

"Honestly, no. I'll make my stir-fried choy sum."

"With the garlic sauce?"

"Yeah, if that's what you want."

"Oh, fine! But we're going out after! To karaoke or something I want to do! I don't want to hang out with the old man all night."

"That's fine by me," Lee had replied, smiling as he had headed out of his office.

It was an invitation Kazuya had regretted accepting.

That evening around seven, Kazuya had quietly slipped in through the garage and made his way towards the kitchen where he caught a glimpse of his father embracing Lee from behind and kissing him on the neck as he stood at the counter attempting to cut up the vegetables for the dinner.

"Knock it off; Kazuya will be here soon and dinner's not even close to being ready," Lee had protested mildly, wriggling a little to try to free himself from the embrace.

Kazuya couldn't believe it. Why didn't Lee scream or turn around and stab him with the knife or at least slug him. A tight feeling came over his chest as he realized what he had walked in on as he watched his father begin to nibble on his brother's earlobe. Adopted brother, Kazuya thought as he turned exited the way he had come in as quietly as he could. Once in the garage, Kazuya contemplated getting back into his car and driving away. He considered going in there and decking his father and asking him what the fuck he thought he was doing. Ultimately after pacing the garage for a good five minutes, Kazuya made sure that his second entrance was much louder. When he entered the kitchen the second time, Lee was alone, quietly humming to himself as he chopped vegetables.

He had so many questions and no appetite, but when Lee had smiled and greeted him warmly without even slowing in his chopping, he had an even more disconcerting thought. What if Lee was happy? What if this was what he and the old man did every night now and he was intruding?

"What?" Lee had asked innocently, turning around and taking a sip from his glass of white wine that he had set on the island counter.

Kazuya then decided, and had continued to stand by his original decision up until that very day, that he would not say anything about what he saw. There was a reason that Lee had never told him and he _did_ seem happy.

"What what?" Kazuya asked.

"You have a look."

"I'm thirsty. Get me some wine?" Kazuya had asked, fake coughing a bit for emphasis.

Lee obliged without question. He had learned that Lee wasn't one to push when people didn't want to talk about things, so the matter dropped immediately. After one of the most awkward dinners of his life, he proceeded to take Lee to a strip club where he watched Lee present a succession of women with generous tips to leave him alone. Kazuya watched as girl after girl approached Lee. He gave each one a large bill, whispered something in her ear and then the girl would leave. One came back with a rum and coke, but that was it.

On the ride home, Kazuya felt like railing at Lee and asking him 'How could you?" but he kept his thoughts to himself as Lee gushed on and on about starting at the university that fall.

"Are you going to keep living at the house?" Kazuya asked finally, cutting Lee off mid-sentence.

"Yeah. I figured I would." Lee replied in subdued voice.

"You know you can come live with me, right? If you don't want to live there or in a dorm or whatever." Kazuya told him, keeping his eyes on the road.

"That's cool. I'll think about it, but I think it will be easier for right now at least if I stay at the house," Lee replied, recovered from the initial surprise of Kazuya's question.

"Sure," Kazuya replied, nodding still looking staring straight ahead.

"I appreciate it."

They rode the rest of the way to the house in silence, but as they pulled into the driveway, Lee suggested Kazuya come in for a drink. Since going back into the house was the last thing he wanted to do that night, he told Lee he was too tired- maybe some other time. Lee nodded and told him goodnight and started to get out of the car.

"Goodnight," Kazuya responded, and then added, "That was a standing offer, by the way. Don't ever hesitate or worry that it'll be weird or that I didn't mean it or something."

Lee stopped getting out of the car and instead threw his arms around him.

"Thank you."

And that was all he said. And now, after seven years had passed, he not only decided to move out of the old man's house, but also out of the country. And that sucked, Kazuya thought as he unlocked the door to the suite and walked in. Kazuya chuckled to himself as he took off his mustard stained t-shirt. It looked like a bomb had gone off in there. Leave it to Anna to completely devastate the room within an hour, Kazuya thought, picking up a red bra that was hanging off of the lamp. After spending a good ten minutes picking up Anna's clothes, Kazuya turned on the TV and dozed off waiting for Anna to return.

*KNOCK, KNOCK!*

"Kazuya?!"

*KNOCK, KNOCK!*

"KAZUYA- I FORGOT MY KEY!" Anna intoned in a loud, whiny voice.

Startled awake, Kazuya turned off the TV and looked at the clock. 8:35. He had been asleep for almost two hours.

"KAZUYA!"

"Hold your horses!" Kazuya shouted, walking over to the door and opening it.

Anna burst in with multitude of shopping bags, which she promptly dropped on the floor before taking off her red high-heels and throwing them over by the door.

"I'm so glad you're here; I forgot my key," Anna declared breathlessly, sitting down in the middle of the couch and leaning back as if she were exhausted.

"I heard you the first time," Kazuya replied with a smile. Though high maintenance and often ridiculous, Anna kept him amused.

"I'm famished! What's for dinner?"

"Whatever you want to order from room service or we could go out."

"I've been out all day- let's order room service," Anna replied, getting up with a sudden burst of energy and attacking the room service menu on the desk.

"Sure," Kazuya agreed putting on a fresh black button up shirt, though surprisingly he didn't feel very hungry.

After scrutinizing the menu for fifteen minutes and asking Kazuya his feelings about countless possibilities, Anna finally decided that she would have the chicken cordon bleu and he would have the filet mignon cooked medium. That way if she didn't like her food they could switch. It was one of her quirks. He didn't mind it, but he recalled that it drove Nina absolutely insane. Over the years, he would estimate that Anna ate what she had ordered for herself about a quarter of the time. The rest of the time, she would attempt trades with other members of the party. In the past couple of years, he had become of prime target of Anna's dinner switch tactics, but Lee had also accepted his fair share of swaps in order to insure that Nina's dinner remained safely in front of her. When Kazuya had once thanked him for going along with Anna's unreasonable requests, Lee had just laughed.

"I've killed and eaten rats; I think I can handle some shrimp jambalaya. Besides, I didn't want her eyeing Nina's stuffed peppers."

When the food arrived and they sat down together at the candlelit table for two, Anna continued to endlessly describe the collections she had seen, the celebrities she had spotted, and the purchases she had made. Kazuya mostly just nodded at the appropriate times and ate his chicken cordon bleu; Anna hadn't liked the look of the sauce.

Finally, Anna stopped mid-sentence. Kazuya looked up to see if she were choking.

"Shit! I forgot to ask you! How'd things go with your brother? Didja find him?" Anna asked abruptly.

"Yeah," Kazuya replied glumly.

"Why, 'yeah?" Anna asked, imitating Kazuya's morose replied.

"Because… I really miss him. And I feel like he's really happy here and I'm happy for him, but at the same time I just want him to come back and have everything the way it was."

"I know, Sweetie, but this is how life goes. Things change and you'll get used to it. Maybe it's for the best, you know, in terms of you and the Zaibatsu," Anna replied, referring to the on-going saga of 'who will inherit control of the Mishima Zaibatsu.'

"Fuck the Zaibatsu," Kazuya snarled. He couldn't believe that she had the poor sense to bring that up at a time like this. He and Lee had it all worked out anyway. They'd stand together and defy the old man's wishes regardless of who came out ahead. That had always been the plan before all this had happened.

Anna sighed and began eating again; there was no talking to him when he was like this. Kazuya left the table and returned to the bedroom. He lay back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Why hadn't he even tried to ask Lee if he had wanted to go out to dinner? Why did he leave so soon after he had got there? They had barely even talked about anything. Honestly, Kazuya knew why. The longer he spent with Lee the more likely he was to ask him seriously to come back to Japan. As much as he wanted his best friend back, he couldn't do that to him. Lee was finally away from the old man. If he had to be on another continent to feel like he was truly out of the old man's grasp, then who was he to try to compel Lee to come back to Japan? He'd have to be an asshole to even broach the topic with him.

After allowing Kazuya to cool down for an hour, Anna entered the room wearing a black babydoll nightgown with garnet-colored lace trim, black stockings with seams up the back, and garnet colored high heels. Without a word Anna sauntered to the bed and crawled on top of Kazuya.

"A new purchase?" Kazuya asked, wishing he had the willpower to stay angry with her. "Yeah… do you like it?" Anna asked in a breathy voice, already feeling that the outfit had received the response that she wanted.

"Yeah," Kazuya replied, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. Anna kicked off her shoes, leaned over, and turned off the lamp.

"I'm sorry about earlier… I wasn't trying to be a bitch," Anna apologized.

"It's okay," Kazuya replied, kissing the top of her head and cuddling her tighter.

"I was just trying to see the best in a bad situation. I mean, without Lee as competition, your Dad doesn't have a choice," Anna pointed out.

"Honestly, I don't think the old man has any intention of retiring or dying. At the most top secret lab on site, they're probably conducting research to give him immortality. Someday, he'll be doing this whole shtick about running the company with my grandkids."

"You're such a doofus! You don't take any of this seriously and you really should."

"I do take it seriously- to a degree. But I can't take it too seriously or it would drive me insane. Anyway, there are labs at the Zaibatsu that Lee didn't even have clearance for and he had top level clearance- or what we thought was top level. There's got to be another level, but it must be a top secret level. It's all very cloak and dagger stuff."

"Do you have clearance?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

"Kazuya!" Anna whined.

"No. We both had the same level of clearance. It's all part of the old man's game," Kazuya replied.

"Well, now that Lee's gone, you'd think he might-"

"I don't want to talk about this. And I don't think my Dad thinks that Lee is gone. I think he's under the impression that this is temporary."

"And what do you think? You know him better," Anna said.

Kazuya sighed. Did he?

"I don't know. He seems glad to be gone."

"Did you see Nina?"

"No. She was at work."

"Work?" Anna asked clearly sounding amused.

"Yeah. She works as a hostess in an Italian restaurant."

"Really? That's funny," Anna replied.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it's not. It's only to be expected. I mean, she's been enamored with your brother since she was nine. I guess that it's not that strange that'd she'd go this far to be with him."

"They're not together."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. They're not together. Lee told me that earlier."

"You're serious?"

"Yes," Kazuya replied emphatically.

"Poor Nina. Not that she said, but I don't think this is what she had in mind when she decided to run off with your brother. What's he playing at?"

"Nothing. He doesn't have an ulterior motive. They're just friends and I think he wants to keep it that way."

"Yuck. You should bring me to her. I'll help her figure out how to get to the bottom of this."

"No… I don't think either of them would appreciate that right now."

"I don't want him using her," Anna replied.

"He's not- he wouldn't."

"Or leading her on."

"He's not. Well, at least not on purpose. The next time I talk to him, I'll try to figure out what he's thinking, okay?" Kazuya asked, squeezing her again.

"Sure. Do that for me because she didn't come all this way for nothing and she does deserve better." Anna replied, kissing Kazuya goodnight and repositioning herself beside him for sleep.

Kazuya lay there next to Anna, listening to her breathing become slow and rhythmic as she fell asleep. He wondered if Nina knew how much Anna cared about her even if she seemingly couldn't show it in a normal way. He also wondered if Lee knew what he was doing as far as Nina was concerned. Anna was undoubtedly right; Nina probably hadn't come all this way just to be Lee's best friend. As he pondered Lee's intentions concerning Nina, he wondered if it was Nina who didn't interest him or women in general. Not that it mattered. He was still his brother and he still just wished he would come home.


	3. October 1985

October 1985

Upon arriving home from the office on a crisp fall evening, Lee found a package on the table under the mailboxes. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the handwritten address on the box. It was in Heihachi's shaky English handwriting.

Picking up the package with trembling hands and taking it up to the fifth floor, Lee let himself in and put the package down on the coffee table. He sat down on the loveseat and glared at it, glad Nina was at work.

He knows where I am, Lee though, running his left hand through his silver hair. Was there anywhere he could go where he could get away from him? Lee continued to look at the package and then went out to the fire escape to smoke. He checked his watch. 5:43 PM. That would make it 6:43 AM in Japan. He knew that Heihachi would be headed to work already and Kazuya would be getting up in two minutes.

Finishing up his cigarette, Lee resolved to just open the package and find out what the fuck it was. He wasn't afraid. He had never been afraid of Heihachi. Though Kazuya had argued on occasion that his father was worth being afraid of and capable of terrible things, Lee felt that had just been Heihachi's way of handling Kazuya. Heihachi had taught both boys the importance of knowing how to "handle" people, as he put it. He taught them that understanding an opponent's strengths, weaknesses, fears, motives, and triggers was invaluable skill. Later Heihachi explained that this lesson also applied to business. He never explicitly stated it, but clearly he used these principles in his personal life and family life as well. Kazuya would hate to hear it, but Heihachi knew exactly how to "handle" him. Lee had seen Heihachi do it innumerable times over the years.

However, what Heihachi hadn't immediately recognized what that Lee had entered the family already with an extensive knowledge of how to "handle" people. It helped him to know when he should beg, steal, bargain, or take by force. It was what had drawn him to Heihachi in the first place. For weeks before Heihachi had noticed him when he had successfully beat up two older boys whose father's shop he had stolen from, Lee had been watching Heihachi, or "the rich man" as he had thought of him. Watching him come and go from the luxurious hotel where he was staying, Lee had been contemplating Heihachi as a mark since the day after he arrived in the city. However, he always seemed too vigilant. Lee wasn't afraid to steal from him, but he knew it would be unwise. However, when "the rich man" pulled him aside after the fight and offered him dinner, Lee had run his left hand through his black hair and pretended to think about it for a minute. He then accepted, tucking the stolen item in his jacket for later.

In course of the dinner at a small, plain but clean restaurant, Lee was able to discern that Heihachi had more than a passing interest in him. Though he wasn't sure what it meant yet, Lee would've been happy to do just about anything to get his hands on some of the rich man's money.

He played the pathetic, but dignified orphan. Ashamed, yet confident of his abilities to fight and steal what he needed to get by. Pitiable, yet plucky and willing to do what he needed to change his situation. He remembered wolfing down his dinner so as not to disappoint and spoil the show even though he had managed breakfast that morning. He purposely let Heihachi see him steal the tip off of a nearby table as they exited to let him see the quiet desperation.

Sitting together on the lip of the fountain outside of the hotel, Lee waited for Heihachi's proposition. Fuck me or don't, Lee thought, crossing his legs impatiently, running his left hand through his black hair, and wishing for a cigarette.

"Something the matter?" Heihachi had asked the squirming twelve year old boy at his side.

"No. I just wish I had a cigarette."

Heihachi growled disapproval at him for the first time of thousands.

"You smoke?"

"Yes… I know it's a filthy habit, but it helps with the hunger, you know," Lee replied, feeling like for a moment he might be losing control of the situation.

"If I adopted you, you'd have to quit," Heihachi posed.

Perplexed by the rich man's statement, Lee gave Heihachi a genuine blank look, but quickly snapped out of it.

"I would."

"Alright. I'm a widower. I have a son about your age. He's an only child, but I feel he'd benefit from having a brother close to him in age. Additionally, the benefits for you would be significant. I'd treat you both equally. Nice things, nice clothes, good schools if you're smart enough. Training to refine your technique."

"My technique?"

"Fighting style. You've got a lot of raw talent, but it can be improved upon."

"What's the catch?" Lee had asked, wondering again if he were losing control of the interaction.

"There isn't one. Stop smoking. Take a bath. Do you want to do this or not?" Heihachi asked curtly.

This wasn't like the dinner invitation. This time when Lee ran his hand through his hair and bounced his crossed leg, his mind was racing, but ultimately he determined he'd be a fool not to say yes. What did he have to lose? There was much more to be gained regardless of the potential costs, Lee had reasoned as he nodded.

Now, years later, Lee knew he had made the right choice. He could very well be dead by now if he had stayed on the streets of Beijing. And nothing had happened with Heihachi that he couldn't handle or control. As far as he was concerned, he had "handled" Heihachi since the moment they had met. What he couldn't handle was the thought of Heihachi asking Kazuya about him- about where he was or what he was doing. He couldn't bear the thought of Kazuya's feelings toward him changing because of what Heihachi might say.

Lee sighed and climbed back through the window into the apartment. He took out a kitchen knife and cut the tape on the package and opened it. There was a note on top of the contents written in Japanese.

'Lee:

I have sent your standing order from the beauty supply. I have taken the liberty of changing the delivery address of your standing order to your current mailing address. I have not changed the billing address.

Hope you are well.

Heihachi'

Lee moved the letter, revealing several boxes of his signature silver hair dye and root maintenance kits. Since he had brought a few boxes with him and hadn't run out yet, he hadn't thought about it. Lee looked at his watch again. 5:49 PM. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hi… it's me."

"I thought maybe. Do you know what time it is here?"

"Yeah. Thirteen hours difference- it's 6:49 AM. You get up at 6:45 AM. What's the issue?"

"There isn't. How are you? Something wrong?" Kazuya asked. They hadn't spoken since he had been there last month and he sounded a little frantic.

"No… not really. Well, I got a package today from Heihachi."

"Is it ticking? Cut the red wire- NO! The BLUE wire!" Kazuya teased.

"Kazuya!"

"I'm joking, Lee. What is it?" Kazuya asked, sensing that Lee was too edgy to take a joke.

"Just my hair dye and stuff. And a note."

"It is a threat?" Kazuya asked, still trying to grasp the issue at hand.

"No. He- I'll just read it," Lee replied, subsequently reading the note to Kazuya.

"Sounds like him. So why are you upset?"

"I'm not. I just-"

"Lee. I know you better than that. Why are you upset?" Kazuya demanded.

Hot, embarrassed tears flooded Lee's eyes. Lee took a breath and composed himself.

"Did you tell him where I am?" Lee asked.

"No. I'd never do that, but Lee- if someone of my intellect, resources, and means could get that information, you should've known that he'd be able to figure it out without a problem."

"Yeah… I just didn't know if you had told him about last month."

"No. He knows Anna and I were in New York- she doesn't believe me when I tell her that the old man doesn't make small talk. I had a good idea he knew where you were when he asked her about where we had gone on our trip. He knew I'd go to see you. He knew I'd try to make it look like I was just taking Anna to do something she had wanted to do in order to throw him off the scent."

"You came to see me- not to bring her to Fashion Week?"

"Yeah. I needed to make sure you were okay," Kazuya admitted. "I offered Fashion Week to her as my cover. But like I said, I really think he knew where you were by the time Anna spilled the beans and offered to give him a fashion show."

Lee giggled. He could just imagine Heihachi's reaction to that one.

"It's not funny. She's trying to get in good with him. She thinks because I'm twenty-six that I should be thinking about settling down! With her!? What's she thinking?"

"I hope you're being careful," Lee replied pointedly.

"I am. She claims she's on the pill. I'm not so sure I believe her. I always use condoms. She's a little nuts."

"Yeah," Lee agreed. He could see that.

"Anyway, do you have Halloween plans? Do you have a costume?" Kazuya asked, curious as always about American culture and customs.

"No… Nina will have to work. Apparently I have to give kids candy… I don't know. Nina explained it."

"Yeah- trick or treating. That's cool."

"So… I've held you up enough. You should get ready for work so you're not late," Lee told Kazuya.

"Fuck work. I didn't know it till you were gone, but you were the only thing I liked about work. Honestly, the old man is such a- he's worse than ever."

"Sorry," Lee replied, crashing down from the high of Kazuya's earlier confession that he had really come to New York to see him.

"Don't be- that's not why I said it. Maybe he was always this bad and you were just a buffer." Kazuya suggested, trying to backpedal from the implications of his previous comment.

"Doubtful. Look. I'm sure he's not happy, but he'll get over it," Lee replied, purposely vague in his comment.

"Yeah, but nobody straightens out my paper stacks anymore. You should see my desk."

"All the more reason to be on time or early even- straighten it out!" Lee teased.

"Sometimes I walk by the lab and I see you empty desk and I just want to go into the office and tell the old man to go to Hell, you know?

"Yeah, but don't," Lee replied.

"Why not?"

"Because. You're better than that. And he'd win and he'd run the Zaibatsu forever as a cyborg or whatever's in that lab. That's why you need to stay on- to get that clearance! Someday when you've got it, I want to see that lab," Lee giggled.

"Yeah. You know, we make light of it, but I'm serious. I don't know what's going on in there and it bothers me that neither of us have clearance," Kazuya replied seriously. He could joke about it with Anna, but with Lee, he was entirely honest about his concerns.

"I know, but… I don't think it's anything to worry about, really," Lee replied.

"I don't know. But, yeah… if I get clearance, you can come back to your new car and I'll bring you on a tour of the top secret lab, okay?" Kazuya asked, with a smile.

"It's a deal. How about a violet Mustang?"

"Anything you want just as soon as you're back," Kazuya replied.

"Okay. Now get ready for work!"

"Okay. With you rushing me like this, it's almost as bad as the week we tried to carpool!"

"Bye, Kazuya!" Lee replied.

"Bye, Lee. Hey… seriously. I miss you."

"I miss you, too," Lee replied softly, hanging up the phone, blinking back tears. It was enough to make him wish he had never left.


	4. November 1985

November 1985- New York City

If Lee Chaolan had been Nina Williams' boyfriend, he would have been the perfect boyfriend. He was smart, funny, gorgeous, and thoughtful. He knew how to cook, he cleaned the apartment, and he never forgot to take the trash out on Tuesdays. He took her out to the clubs at least once a week, took her out for a nice dinner at least once a month, and bought her little gifts from time to time to make her feel appreciated. Every night when she came home from work, he was waiting for her with the kettle on. He poured her a cup of tea with milk and asked her about her day. He was a great listener, too. And he gave the best backrubs. But he wasn't her boyfriend and that was beginning to upset Nina.

At first Nina assumed that it would happen when it was meant to happen and that she could enjoy their friendship in the meantime, but as the months began to roll by, Nina became increasing concerned that it wasn't going to happen at all. After all, they had been good friends and nothing more for the past few years prior to him asking her to move to New York with him. Why did she think this would change anything?

Nina had gone on her first date with Lee almost two years ago on her eighteenth birthday. He had been twenty-three and though he informed her that he liked her a lot, he had no interest in going on the date. He had made that very clear… it was just that Kazuya had wanted to take her and Anna out to celebrate their eighteenth birthday and it would've been weird for him to take out both of them. It was better as a double date. Lee had explained that as he handed her a bouquet of bright fuchsia orchids.

Nina remembered wanting to throw the bouquet at him, run upstairs, and take off the stupid little black dress Anna had picked out for her. Seeing that he had offended her, Lee had quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry. I've got this project at work. Kazuya knows, but he insisted we do this tonight."

"It is our birthday," Nina pointed out, wondering if Kazuya was being just as charming with Anna in the living room.

"I know, but for what my brother has in mind, this could have happened anytime after," Lee had commented.

"Excuse me?" Nina asked, hands on her hips.

"Nothing. I'm just tired. I'm sorry. I'll stop now."

Still feeling humiliated, Nina attempted to reach for a vase that was on top of the refrigerator to put her orchids in. When she proved unable to reach the vase, Lee had come over and easily retrieved it for her and filled it with water.

"If you crush up an aspirin and put it in the water, the flowers will last longer," Lee informed her.

"That's just what I'm worried about. Ways to prolong the commemoration of this glorious occasion," Nina cracked.

Lee sighed.

"I'm sorry. Do you have another vase? Kazuya bought Anna roses."

"Aye… in the cabinet above the sink. Crawl up on the counter. I would, but I'm in this dammed dress."

"You look nice, by the way." Lee replied, getting up on the kitchen counter as Nina had suggested and going through the cabinet for another vase. When he found one he handed it to her.

Nina didn't reply as she brought the vase to the sink, washed it, and filled it with water.

"That one's prettier; you should take it," Lee commented.

"I don't care," Nina replied, and then turned and looked at Lee. "Look. You don't have to do this. Go work on your stupid project. I'll stay home and Anna and Kazuya can go have and have a great date and he can fuck her in the back of his car, which smells like a jock strap!"

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge," Lee said, walking towards Nina and giving her a hug. Though part of her wanted to burst free from the embrace and clock him for the things he had said earlier, the girl who had been in love with him since she was nine hugged him back, forgave him quietly, and went to get the aspirin he had proscribed for the flowers.

By the time they had finished crushing up the pills and putting them in the water, Anna burst into the kitchen with her red roses, declared her flowers prettier than Nina's ("No offense!"), and grabbed the prettier vase for herself.

"Anna, Nina wanted that one," Lee had said.

Anna rolled her eyes and put her flowers in the plainer vase.

"Leave it to Nina to be petty about something like that," Anna commented.

"Actually, I'm the petty one. Roses from a grocery store can really go in a type of vase, but these hot house orchids that I went to the trouble of placing a special order for three weeks ago really deserve the crystal vase," Lee replied to Anna's apparent dismay and Nina's quiet delight. When Anna stormed off into the other room to hit Kazuya, Nina kissed Lee on the cheek and he had wished her a happy birthday before proceeding to the living room.

From that point on, Lee had been the perfect gentleman towards her though clearly tense throughout the whole evening. Initially she supposed he just couldn't get his project off of his mind, but on her way back from the restroom she heard Lee and Kazuya bickering at the bar. Nina hid in the hallway outside of the door to the restroom and listened to the argument.

"I know what you're doing up here. There is no way you should be trying to get Richard Williams' daughter drunk on her eighteenth birthday so you can take her back to her father's house and fuck her," Lee hissed at Kazuya in Japanese.

"Relax. Anna says he's out of town for the weekend."

"Kazuya!"

"Lee. She wants to do this. She asked for this drink and the two I got her before that and she wants me to fuck her- said it would be the perfect birthday present. Whatever you and Nina want to do or not do is your business, but this is _not _your business," Kazuya replied, pushing past Lee with Anna's rather inconspicuous looking rum and coke. Nina watched him ditch the little red straw from the bar in a potted plant on his way back to the table.

Nina's heart leapt up into her throat as Lee approached her hiding spot.

"I know you heard the whole thing. Come on. Let's get back to the table," Lee said, offering Nina his arm.

"Is this why you really didn't want to be here?" Nina asked quietly as they walked back to the table.

"Yes," Lee replied, sounding uncomfortable.

"Well, I appreciate you being here anyway… and letting Anna have half of your duck. My Cornish game hen was really good."

"Anything for the birthday girls," Lee said, pulling out Nina's chair.

When they had gotten back to the Williams' house, Kazuya had carried Anna upstairs after seeing her dismal performance on the three steps up to the door at the front of the house. Her moronic giggling made Nina queasy as she had bolted through the house to find one of her coats. Unable to find one quickly enough, Nina put on her father's overcoat and ran out front where Lee was waiting.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to take the car and go or what," Lee confessed.

"Yeah. We can walk in the garden if you want to wait a bit," Nina replied. She didn't want him to go.

"Sure. Mind if I smoke?"

"No," Nina replied, attempting to thread her arm through Lee's again. Realizing she was cold, Lee instead put his arm around her as they walked through the garden paths.

"Your father's garden is really beautiful in the springtime," Lee complimented.

"Thanks. And thank you for doing this even though you didn't want to. Don't feel bad about not being able to protect Anna. Kazuya's right. She was really looking forward to this. She's wanted this to happen for a while now, but he said no because she wasn't eighteen. And now she is, so it's happening."

"Yeah, but there is no way that your father or Heihachi would approve of this."

"No, but Anna has never let what other people will think of her behavior stand in her way, that's for sure. And thank you for the flowers and for putting her in her place about the vase. It felt amazing."

"My pleasure," Lee replied, as they sat down on a swing in the back of the desolate rose garden.

After talking for an hour about a number of things, Nina took a deep breath and kissed Lee. He tasted like cigarettes and she could feel the warmth of his body through his jacket. He kissed back politely and then gently pushed her away by her shoulders.

"I guess that Kazuya may be spending the night. I'll drive his car home and he can call me when he wants me to pick him up," Lee said, getting up as if nothing had happened. Nina followed numbly, allowing Lee to walk her back towards the door.

"Happy birthday, Nina," Lee told her, hugging her goodnight.

"Thanks," Nina whispered, embarrassed she had kissed him.

And that's how she felt now every day of her life: embarrassed that she had moved to New York with him only to be led on for months on end. It was bad enough when she began to harbor doubts that Lee was never going to be more than a friend, but when Jenna, the beautiful, busty brunette dancer with the emerald eyes from the fourth floor had asked Nina what the situation with Lee was as she headed out to work that afternoon, Nina found herself wanting to punch the girl in the teeth and sink into the sidewalk. Instead Nina gave Jenna an icy look, but Jenna wouldn't take the hint.

"Well, if he's _not_ your boyfriend, do you think he might be interested in going out sometime or is he… you know?" Jenna asked with a little giggle, hitching her bag up on her shoulder as she kept up with Nina's fast pace.

"No. What?"

"Gay. I mean, if he is that's fine. If he's your boyfriend, that's fine, too, but if he's not, I'd really enjoy a crack at him," Jenna gushed.

"Well, he's certainly not gay and he's not my boyfriend yet, but I'm working on changing that," Nina replied.

"Okay. Well, good luck to you." Jenna replied, turning right on the next street with a smirk that Nina wanted to knock clean off her face.

Nina brooded for the rest of her day. She found it harder than usual to smile at customers and make pleasant small talk as she felt happiness sliding completely out of her grasp. After quarter to six, when she knew Lee was home from work, Nina began to worry that Jenna the bimbo had gone up to the apartment to pay him a visit. What if this girl was his type?

After agonizing over the situation for the entire day, Nina left the restaurant at ten thirty with some manicotti that her elderly boss, Vicente, had instructed her to eat because she was too skinny. Nina had smiled graciously for the manicotti, taken her share of the tips, and walked back to the apartment, nervous about what she might find.

Feeling silly when she walked in to find Lee working on her tea as he always was when she got home from work, Nina sat down on the loveseat relieved and exhausted.

"Hi. How was your day?" he asked, pouring the water in the cup.

"Tiring. Yours?"

"Fine. Did something happen at the restaurant?" Lee asked, pouring milk into the tea.

"No. That was fine. I've got some manicotti here if you're hungry," Nina replied.

Lee thought for a moment and grabbed two forks in addition to her tea. After delivering these items to the coffee table in front of her, Lee returned to the refrigerator and grabbed himself a beer.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," Lee replied.

"You know that girl Jenna from the fourth floor?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"I guess so. She's not my type, but she's pretty enough," Lee replied, taking a bite of the manicotti.

"She's interested in you. She was asking me about you."

"And what did you tell her?" Lee asked.

"Well, she thought you might be gay, but I told her that wasn't the case. She also wanted to know whether or not I was your girlfriend. I told her I wasn't, but I made it clear to her that I wasn't interested in her coming up here and trying to pick you up," Nina replied.

"I appreciate it, you defending my reputation and honor like that," Lee teased, taking a sip of his beer.

"Aye. My pleasure. So you don't like her then?"

"No," Lee replied.

"Good to know. Any girls at your work?"

"Well, there are women-"

"That you like?" Nina asked.

"Not like that. What is this, middle school?"

"No… I just sometimes wonder why you brought me here." Nina replied.

"Because you're my best friend and I wanted you to be here with me."

"If that's how you feel, then I wish you'd show it. I came here with you because I thought that was why you asked me to come to New York with you."

Lee sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"You're right. I'm sorry and I've been unfair. I should've found out what your expectations were when I asked you to move here with me." Lee apologized mechanically.

"Bollocks! Lee, if our relationship isn't going to change that's fine, but you could at least have the decency to tell me that!" Nina exploded.

Lee took a deep breath and thought for a minute.

"If that's what you really want, we can try," Lee replied.

"Meaning what?" Nina asked, unsure of what Lee's vague answer had meant.

"We can start dating and see where it goes," Lee replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah… I guess I just didn't realize it was this important to you. I'm sorry."

"That's alright," Nina replied with a smile. It was easy to smile now that she had gotten her man. Suddenly, everything seemed wonderful.

Fuck, Lee had thought as he lay in bed next Nina. Well, what did he think was going to happen? He knew that when she had said yes to coming to New York with him without a moment's pause that this was what she had in mind. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad and maybe he should try. Kazuya thought so. And what exactly would he have told her if he hadn't agreed to this? 'No thanks. Before we left, I was fucking the man you refer to as my father for the past nine years and I think I'm in love with my brother. AND I only went out with you in the first place so I could keep my eye on him because I was jealous.' That wasn't the kind of things you told one of your best friends if you hoped to remain best friends with her.

He looked at the clock. 1:20. In Japan it would be 2:20 in the afternoon. Lee found himself wanting to call Kazuya and ask him what he thought, but he knew what Kazuya would think. He would say that is was good- about fucking time. He wouldn't say it, but Kazuya would be thrilled that Lee was finally recovering from whatever the old man had done to him. And Lee wouldn't say it, but there was nothing in his relationship with Heihachi that had been against his will. No, calling Kazuya wouldn't do any good. He knew exactly what he'd say and maybe he was right.


	5. December 1985

December 1985- Tokyo

Kazuya looked around the restaurant and checked his watch again. He rolled his eyes. The old man was now twenty-two minutes late. He hated these lunch meetings with his father. The old man always kept him waiting at least ten minutes and then usually began with a bad performance review, followed up with criticism of nutritional content of his lunch order and demands to know about his current training regimen. Even when Lee had been there, he hadn't been able to save him from these lunch meeting. When Lee would attempt to invite himself, Heihachi would always veto it. Apparently it had been easier and more fun for his father to rip him apart when Lee wasn't there to disapprove or stick up for him.

Kazuya checked his watch again. Twenty-three minutes late. He sipped his water. Less than thirty seconds later, he checked his watch again and received the same verdict. Still twenty-three minutes late.

"You know, checking your watch more often does not make time move faster," Heihachi declared, sitting down at the table across from his son.

"You're twenty-three minutes late."

"Indeed. I did not suppose that a man like yourself who is habitually several minutes late to work would place such a high value on punctuality."

Kazuya rolled his eyes.

"Additionally, you are a twenty-six year old man. Perhaps it is time you stop rolling your eyes when something does not suit you," Heihachi commented from behind his menu.

Kazuya rolled his eyes again in response. Perhaps it was time for the old man to stop growling when things did not suit him.

"So, what is this about?" Kazuya asked once they had placed their order.

"The reason I was late. I was just speaking with a private investigator in New York."

"And?" Kazuya asked, trying to act casual.

"Do not insult my intelligence by pretending you do not understand the significance of my statement. I know that you know that is where Lee is living. I know that you saw him on your trip there in September with the trampy Williams girl and I know that he called you in October."

"So?"

"Lee needs to stop this foolishness, return to Japan, and continue his important work at the Zaibatsu," Heihachi stated.

"No. He doesn't. He's an adult and he's free to live his life as he chooses to," Kazuya replied resolutely.

"If you believe that this is what it means to be an adult, I have clearly failed you. It is about responsibilities and obligations- not freedom to do what you please. It is certainly not about running off to New York City and having a fling with a business associate's daughter, working a menial job that is utterly beneath you, or staying out till all hours of the night dancing at nightclubs."

"First of all, he and Nina are just friends. Second, the job he has- he's says it's a lot like the internships you had him in when he first started at the Zaibatsu. And how is what he's doing there any different from when we'd go to nightclubs or karaoke bars here?"

"My private investigator suggests otherwise on the first point, but that is not important. A man should not have the job he had at sixteen at the age of twenty-five- especially not a brilliant one with so much potential. It would be the equivalent of you returning to work in the mailroom. Would that be the best use of your abilities?"

Kazuya merely folded his hands on the table in front of him and continued to look at his father expressionlessly.

"And if either of you had ever been unable to perform your duties at the Zaibatsu, I would have put a stop to your activities. However, it did not interfere, so I allowed it to continue."

"You allowed it? I'm twenty-six years old. Lee is twenty-five. I don't even live in your house! You couldn't have stopped anything," Kazuya retorted.

"I am your employer. I could have issued either of you an ultimatum if your lifestyle had begun to interfere with your ability to do your work. Additionally, you live in your own home; Lee did not. Do you think that he ever went out for the evening without my approval?"

Kazuya did not say anything, but simply glared at the old man. He hated him immensely.

"Anyway, most of this is irrelevant to the reason I have asked you here."

"And that reason is?"

"I need you to ask Lee to return to Japan. I believe that he would if you asked him," Heihachi replied.

"No."

"No, he would not or no, you will not ask him?"

"Both," Kazuya lied. He was pretty sure the old man was correct. If he asked Lee to return, he believed that he would, but there was no way he was going to ask that of him.

"There is no sense in lying to me, boy. You need to convince your brother to return to the Zaibatsu. He's an important scientist and-"

"I won't do it. It doesn't matter what you say," Kazuya replied firmly, and then with a smirk added, "Nobody's indispensible, right?"

Heihachi growled in response to hearing his son glibly use one of his favorite business principles in an attempt to thwart him.

"That would typically be true, however, the business model for the future of the Zaibatsu has been designed with-"

"Might I suggest you update? I know it's hard for you to let go, but you're going to have to," Kazuya told him pointedly.

"Listen. It will be of great benefit to all involved if you take the initiative to resolve this matter. If this is not done in a manner and timeframe that I deem acceptable, I will resolve the matter personally. If it becomes necessary for me to do this, I can guarantee that no one will be satisfied with the resolution."

Kazuya looked down at his hands, feeling sick to his stomach. Though he knew that Lee would claim the old man was bluffing, he did not believe it. He knew that the old man was capable of great cruelty; he had the scars to prove it. Perhaps tricking Lee into thinking he was harmless had been his father's way of "handling" him. He didn't know, but he did know how Lee would want him to respond and he felt like he didn't have a choice.

"So," Heihachi continued, "I will ask you just once more. Do you intend to ask your brother to return to Japan in order to avoid the consequences that will arise from a failure to resolve this matter?"

"No," Kazuya replied firmly, against his own better judgment.

"Suit yourself," Heihachi replied, putting his napkin on his lap as the waiter delivered their meals to the table. Heihachi scowled after quickly taking stock of his son's meal. "Shrimp tempura?"

Kazuya nodded and took a bite as the old man launched into his classic tempura lecture. As the old man railed on about oils and saturated fats, Kazuya agonized over the decision he had made. Suddenly, the lunch meeting seemed like business as usual, but Kazuya did not believe for a second that this meant that he had won and his father had been bluffing. He was just done talking about it and they were still within the timeframe. He had a sinking feeling that they would all know when the time was up, but he could not compel Lee to return to the life, and the man, he had run away from. He would just have to do his best to protect his brother and himself.

"Keller Industries, this is Lee."

"It's me."

"Kazuya, this is-"

"I know. I shouldn't have called you at work, but it's important. The old man has a private investigator watching you."

"Kazuya, we already figured as much. Remember the package?"

"Yeah, but he knows we talked on the phone after you got the package. I think your phone might be bugged."

"And?," Lee asked, getting up and closing the door to his tiny office. "He already knew where I was and that I didn't want him to know. I can't imagine anything he could gain by installing a wiretap on my phone, but it doesn't surprise me. Don't worry about it, Kazuya."

"Lee, he wanted me to ask you to come back to Japan. When I said I wouldn't, he told him he would take matters into his own hands. I know that you think he's harmless, but it was a threat and I think he has every intention of carrying it out."

"Kazuya. Listen. Please do not worry about it. Heihachi is just... just don't worry about it, okay?"

"Lee, he is not the man you think he is. You should consider leaving New York. Even if it means I can never see you again, at least-"

"Kazuya, no. I am not going to spend my life running away from a vague threat. It wouldn't do any good anyway. Please do not worry. I'm not worried. Now, get some sleep. It's after midnight. Goodnight."

"Goodbye," Kazuya replied, hanging up the payphone and getting into his car to drive back to his penthouse.

Heihachi almost wanted to laugh at the latest report from the private investigator. Kazuya had properly guessed that his own phone had been wiretapped and that the phone at Lee's apartment had been tapped. He had even been smart enough to call Lee from a payphone. However, he had not been smart enough to realize that Lee's work phone line had also been wiretapped. Typical Kazuya, not thinking matters all the way through.

And typical Lee, believing he was just a jealous, lovesick fool incapable of hurting him. He had shown the boy remarkable generosity and kindness and clearly it had made him into a stupid, arrogant ingrate. His apparent inability to discern what he had already learned from the wiretap was pathetic. He had suspected it when Lee left, but now he was absolutely certain; Lee was in love with Kazuya. Contrary to Kazuya's interpretation of the situation, which was no doubt based on lies Lee had fed to him, it was the real reason he had run away.

Heihachi smiled to himself. When the time was right, he would enjoy taking his revenge. Which had been the most critical thing Kazuya had been right about; he had every intention of carrying out his threats.


	6. January 1986

January 1986- New York City

Lee sat on the loveseat in the living room of the apartment. He had just gotten home from work and was drinking a beer. He needed to talk to Kazuya, but given the situation with the phones, he knew that Kazuya would be completely paranoid. At the same time, he felt like he was in way over his head and he needed Kazuya's advice.

Picking up the phone, Lee dialed Kazuya's number and waited as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi."

"Lee- the phones?"

"Honestly, Kazuya, who cares? He might have gotten over it by now anyway and given up," Lee said. He didn't believe it, but he didn't care either and he'd be damned before he'd let Heihachi control his relationship with Kazuya. He still wasn't afraid of Heihachi even though it was plain to see the same couldn't be said of Kazuya.

"Maybe. I don't think so, though."

"Well, I need to talk to you- actually about one of your areas of expertise."

"Which one of the many?" Kazuya joked, "Sneakers? Tying various types of knots? Karaoke? Businessy stuff? Women? Setting mousetraps? There's more- should I continue?"

"No... it's actually related to one of those things."

"It's the knots- right?" Kazuya teased.

"Yeah... that's what I called about," Lee replied sarcastically.

"I thought maybe," Kazuya said, but then asked, "What's really on your mind?"

"It's about women- well, not really. It's about Nina."

"Nina's a woman," Kazuya pointed out.

"I know. Believe me. I know," Lee replied emphatically.

"So are you two-"

"Yeah... the thing is, in November after this other girl from our building was asking Nina about me, she ambushed me and asked me if this was going anywhere. I felt guilty because I hadn't intended it to, so I said we could start dating. So everything was fine for about a month. Things were going slow- we were holding hands and kissing- stuff like that. We had a nice Christmas, whatever. Then on her birthday, I got her orchids like the ones I got her when we went on that double date with them two years ago-"

"When you had the temper tantrum at the bar?"

"Yes," Lee replied, rolling his eyes.

"You know, I got Anna a ruby necklace this year, but the roses still came from the grocery store. I forgot," Kazuya explained.

"Sounds like you... anyway, so I give her these flowers when she gets home from work and then I'm making her tea and all of a sudden she's in this lingerie thing."

"Lingerie thing? Can you be more specific?"

"It was purple and it looked like a little dress. It was made of polyester. It had a matching robe," Lee described.

"Polyester?"

"Yeah... you know, the cheap fabric that kind of looks like silk?"

"I know what you're talking about, but I just can't believe that's what you'd notice at a moment like that."

"I was really surprised."

"Surprised? How so?"

"Well, we'd only been dating a little over a month and-"

"And you've known each other for over twelve years. Technically, given the double dates you've been on with her, Anna, and me, you've been dating for two years... as of her birthday. So, I see her point. It was probably about time."

"I wasn't counting the double dates as dating and neither was she. And honestly, how bowling constitutes a date, I'm still not really sure."

"Okay, but there was plenty of dancing and dining in addition to the bowling, so I could see where that qualifies as dating."

"Maybe in some cases, but not this one. Trust me. It's a new thing," Lee stated.

"Okay... so you were surprised and then?"

"Well, then I did what she wanted me to do, but it was really..."

"Really what? Hot?" Kazuya asked.

"No. Not at all, actually. I think it was her first time and she was crying a little bit. I wanted to stop and she said no. So I kept going until I was done. I don't think she enjoyed it at all and I know I didn't. So, what should I do?"

"Well… have you guys tried it since?" Kazuya asked.

"No… she hasn't said anything," Lee replied.

"Well, _you_ could initiate things. I mean it was almost two weeks ago now and she's probably kind of wondering what's going on."

"Alright… so initiate," Lee repeated.

"Yeah, but some wine or champagne would probably help. Just split a bottle- don't get wasted. And foreplay is a must."

"Okay," Lee replied, feeling tense and uncomfortable.

"And if she doesn't come during the actual sex, you should finish her off after. Go down on her," Kazuya recommended.

"Okay," Lee replied again, crossing and uncrossing his legs several times.

"Are you sure?" Kazuya asked.

"Am I sure of what?" Lee asked.

"That it's 'okay?' It doesn't sound okay," Kazuya replied.

"Yeah… no, it's fine. I can do this," Lee stated as firmly as he could.

"Lee?"

"Yeah?" Lee asked.

"You know you don't have to, right? If things aren't working between the two of you, you should tell her. She's your friend. She may be disappointed, but she'll understand," Kazuya replied.

At the thought of that possibility, Lee felt relief wash over him followed by guilt. He hadn't called Kazuya for an out. He had called him for advice. He owed it to Nina to try harder than that. Didn't he?

"Lee… can I ask you something?" Kazuya asked. Now he sounded tense, as well.

"Anything," Lee replied, dreading what he knew was coming. He had known since that conversation in September when Kazuya had referred to Heihachi being a wreck without him.

"Is it possible that you're… that you've experienced some trauma and that the difficulties you're having are part of that?"

Lee sighed.

"There were some bad things that happened to me before your father adopted me." Lee stated rather mechanically, reaching for his cigarettes. Fuck the lease.

"When you were that young?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah… things were really bad. I did what I had to do to survive," Lee replied resolutely, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I'm sorry," Kazuya told him.

"Don't be. Like I said, I did what I had to do. And luckily, thanks to your father, I didn't have to do it for any length of time. I was _so_ lucky."

"But what about after?" Kazuya asked sheepishly.

"Everything that happened after was consensual," Lee replied, heart pounding. At this juncture, he couldn't lie to Kazuya, but he couldn't imagine anything more painful than telling him the truth.

"With my father?"

"Yes… he never forced me. I… it was my fault," Lee explained, feeling a tightness in his chest.

"Your fault? You were just a kid. He's a monster," Kazuya seethed.

"I was sixteen and I seduced him, Kazuya," Lee replied flatly. His throat felt tight and he waited.

"Lee, you don't have to blame yourself for what happened."

"Kazuya. I seduced him. I'm not attempting to protect him or something. What I did, I did on purpose." Lee stated firmly.

"But why?" Kazuya asked.

Lee paused and took another drag on his cigarette. He knew exactly why, but that was something that he still couldn't tell Kazuya. The reason why had initially been because Kazuya had decided that it was going to lose his virginity to his then girlfriend, Hiromi Kagoshima. Beyond jealous, Lee had first responded to Kazuya's announcement of his plans for the evening by commencing to sob for thirty minutes straight after Kazuya had left his room. From his bedroom window, Lee had pouted as he watched Kazuya drive down the driveway in his black GTO. Afterwards, he had gone for a run and thrown up in the woods. Upon returning to the house, he had taken a shower and eaten a bowl of soup for dinner, all the while torturing himself by wondering what Kazuya was doing. Next he had gone to the wine cellar and picked out something that he thought Heihachi wouldn't miss and went outside to the hot tub with his economics text book.

When Heihachi came home at nine after a dinner with a business associate, he found Lee in the hot tub, drinking a glass of red wine, and reading his economics text book.

"Hi. Where's your brother?"

"Out. Where were you?" Lee asked.

"Dinner with a business associate. I doubt there is any benefit to reading Principles of Economics on a Friday night after you have had a few glasses of wine," Heihachi remarked, peering at the book in Lee's hand and the wine glass on the ledge of the hot tub.

"A business associate?" Lee asked smiling wickedly.

Heihachi nodded.

"A handsome one? I've noticed that sometimes you have dinner with young, handsome business associates and that sometimes young, handsome business associates have had to spend the night. You know… like when they're from out of town or something," Lee giggled, setting down his economics book and sipping his wine.

Heihachi blushed and then growled at Lee.

Instead of worrying about what he had done to displease Heihachi, Lee had burst out in a gale of giggles and took another sip of his wine.

"You've probably had enough wine and it's probably time for you to get out of the hot tub," Heihachi stated, bending down to move the glass out of Lee's reach.

With his somewhat impaired mind still racing, Lee let Heihachi pick up his wine glass, but then commenced to pout when Heihachi scowled at him with his wine glass in hand.

"I think you should probably go a sleep this off," Heihachi declared. He looked disgusted.

"Maybe," Lee replied, locking eyes with Heihachi. He stood up, revealing his nudity.

Heihachi attempted to avert his eyes, which amused Lee all the more. Lee smiled and giggled, but then stopped as he recalled Kazuya. It could be the perfect revenge. Fuck Kazuya's father… manipulate the old bastard… get control of the Zaibatsu. Kazuya could fuck Hiromi into oblivion for all he cared. Lee giggled again and smoothed back his newly silver hair slowly with his left hand. He was glad he hadn't been smoking when Heichachi approached; his disdain for smoking would have made it much more difficult.

"Now tell me… do you really think I should go and sleep this off?" Lee purred, sitting back down in the hot tub.

Heihachi merely watched, flabbergasted.

"Or do you want to join me? Or maybe give me what I deserve cuz I've been bad?" Lee asked, locking eyes with Heihachi again.

"Lee…"

"Yes?" Lee asked, smiling seductively.

Heihachi faltered, grasping for something to say to his young ward at that moment.

"Listen... head up to your suite. Think about it. If you're interested in maybe… punishing me a little… leave your door unlocked. If not, lock it and I'll go and sleep it off, okay?" Lee asked.

Seemingly relieved for the out, Heihachi lumbered away from the hot tub, up the steps, and into the backdoor of the house. Lee giggled. He had never seen Heihachi flustered like that before and it was kind of funny.

When Lee got out of the hot tub a few minutes later, he wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed his economics book, and walked into the house. As he walked up the stairs, Lee would have bet anything that Heihachi's door would be locked, but when he turned to the left and walked to the end of the corridor, he found the door unlocked. Surprised and instantly somewhat sobered, Lee hesitated for a moment. Did he really want to do this? In reality, he didn't want to hurt Kazuya or Heihachi. He didn't want to have sole possession of the Zaibatsu; that wasn't what he and Kazuya had agreed to. Maybe he should just slink off and go to bed. And maybe he shouldn't have made those remarks about Heihachi and some of his "business associates"; it was just something he couldn't help but notice. Suddenly he regretted being so disrespectful. Entering the room to offer Heihachi an apology, Lee caught him pacing the room shirtless. Heihachi stopped when Lee walked in and stared at him.

"I'm sorry about the things I said. I was being disrespectful."

"So that's it?"

"Yeah… I think you're right. I should probably just go sleep it off. Am I grounded or something… for the wine or what I said?" Lee asked.

"No. Just go to bed," Heihachi replied, dismissing Lee with a wave of the hand before turning around and heading out to his balcony. Lee put down his economics book on the dresser, grabbed Heihachi's black silk robe, and quickly put it on. He discarded his towel into the hamper and walked out to the balcony.

"You should really just go to bed," Heihachi stated firmly, looking out at the forest that surrounded the compound, hands firmly on the iron railing of the balcony.

"You _did_ leave the door unlocked," Lee pointed out, approaching Heihachi. He could feel the warmth radiating off his body on the cool October evening.

"It was a mistake," Heihachi replied, continuing to look out at his property, refusing to look at Lee.

Lee moved to Heihachi's left side and put his right hand over Heihachi's left and squeezed gently, looking out at woods. He looked up at the stars and the moon.

"Waning gibbous," Lee stated absently, looking at the moon.

"Lunar phases?" Heihachi asked incredulously, looking at Lee with his ethereally beautiful silver hair.

"Uh-huh. You can tell because the left side is visible. If it were the right, it would be a waxing gibbous. It's the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere."

With that, Heihachi embraced him violently and kissed him roughly on the lips. Surprised but quick to recover, Lee's hands felt Heihachi's muscular back as he kissed him. After indeterminate amount of time, Heihachi stopped kissing him, took a step back from him, and merely stared.

Lee brushed his silver hair back with his left hand, feeling awkward as Heihachi silently examined him.

"You should probably go. I don't want you to do something that you may regret," Heihachi finally stated, looking him in the eye.

"I wouldn't," Lee replied softly.

"You've had quite a bit of wine. I don't want to take advantage of you."

"You wouldn't be. I'm not drunk."

"But you're young and-"

"I'm not a child. I haven't been since my mother died when I was six. By the time my father drank himself to death when I was eight, I had already been begging and stealing for two years to get by. By the time I was ten, I'd killed and eaten rats. By the time you found me, I'd already begun selling myself when I couldn't figure out another way to eat. When I first saw you, I was trying to figure out how and what I could steal from you and when you took me to dinner, I thought you wanted to fuck me. I am not a child," Lee repeated with conviction, quickly wiping tears from his face with the back of his hand.

"I know," Heihachi replied, embracing him and soothingly rubbing his back. Lee leaned his head on Heihachi's shoulder and closed his eyes. Heihachi kissed his forehead.

"You're sure?" Heihachi asked, after a few minutes had passed.

Lee just nodded. In that moment, he couldn't think of anything he wanted more than the comfort that it promised to provide. With that, Heihachi gently tilted Lee's chin up and began to kiss him again as he backed him towards the door. Once inside, Heihachi had backed him towards the bed and then turned off the light.

"You're sure?" Heihachi had asked one last time, lying down on the bed beside him.

"Yes," Lee replied, turning to Heihachi and kissing him.

Afterwards, Heihachi had held him and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. When he woke up next to Heihachi a little before two, he gently touched Heihachi's arm.

"Hey…"

"Yes?" Heihachi asked. He had either been awake or barely asleep.

"I'm going to go back to my own room now… sometimes when Kazuya comes home from his dates, he likes to come into my room and tell me about them. It would look weird if I wasn't there."

"Alright. He wakes you up whenever he gets home, regardless of the hour?" Heihachi asked.

"Yeah… if he wants to talk about how things went," Lee replied, donning Heihachi's robe without asking for permission.

"Sounds like Kazuya. Listen… this doesn't need to happen again. If it was just a lapse in judgment or a one time-"

"No. I enjoyed it," Lee quickly confessed. It had been undeniably good.

"I did, too."

Lee bent down and kissed Heihachi.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Heihachi replied, softly stroking Lee's cheek with the back of his hand.

Lee had grabbed his economics book, scurried back to his room. He changed into his own pajamas, burying Heihachi's robe in his hamper under his own dirty clothes so it wouldn't catch Kazuya's eye. He smoked a cigarette and got into bed. When Kazuya's car tore up the driveway fifteen minutes later, he pretended to be asleep. When Kazuya burst into his room and turned the lights on a few minutes later, he sat up and listened to Kazuya's triumph. Pretending he wasn't jealous, Lee mechanically congratulated him and listened to the gory details that Kazuya was so excited to share with him.

"So… that was my freakin' amazing night. How was yours?"

"I got drunk and read about Keynesian Economics," Lee replied, telling a half truth with a smile.

"It was probably more interesting that way. Sorry that none of Hiromi's friends were available tonight. Maybe you couldn't gotten some, too."

"Maybe," Lee replied, smiling at the irony.

Lee sighed, raising his cigarette back to his lips. What answer could he give as to why?

"I don't know why, Kazuya. It just felt right."

"Well, whatever the reason, Lee, maybe things aren't working with Nina because you're not attracted to women."

"Maybe not," Lee agreed.

"I don't think so. Remember when I took you to that strip club?"

"Yeah."

"I took you there because I saw you fooling around with my Dad in the kitchen earlier that night. I didn't know what to think- like if he was forcing you or something. Then I took you to that strip club and I watched you pay the girls to leave you alone- except the one girl you paid to bring you a drink and then leave you alone. I was pretty sure then that you weren't attracted to women, but I figured it was something that you didn't want to talk about or you were waiting for the right time or something. But then you moved to New York with Nina and I wasn't sure what to think, but now I think you might just want to be honest with her," Kazuya opined.

"Maybe… but I feel really bad, you know? If it wasn't for me, she'd be with her father now and maybe she'd find a real boyfriend. I think I should try harder at this for her sake," Lee stated.

"And that could probably work for a while, but eventually, if you really aren' t attracted to women, it's just not going to last."

Lee frowned. This wasn't the type of advice he had been seeking from Kazuya, but it seemed pretty sound.

"I see what you mean. Kazuya?" Lee asked, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah?"

"You don't hate me, right?" Lee asked, afraid that the confessions he had made regarding Heihachi would change the way Kazuya felt about him.

"No. I don't hate you. I love you. I just don't understand it, Lee. Not the part about not being attracted to women, but the part about my Dad. He's just not the person you think he is, Lee. He's dangerous."

"Kazuya, did you ever think he's not the person _you_ think he is? We were together for nine years and I love him. He was in love with me. I think he still is. I just don't believe he'd do anything to hurt me."

"I hope you're right, Lee. I hope I'm wrong and you know my father better than I do because I'm worried."

"I understand, but I don't think it's necessary," Lee replied, relieved that Kazuya didn't hate him. He didn't know what he'd do if he did.

"I hope you're right. Look, I have to get ready for work. We'll talk soon. Let me know how it goes with Nina."

"Ok… I will. I love you, too, okay?"

"Yeah. Call me soon."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye," Lee replied, hanging up the phone and lighting a fresh cigarette with his previous one. He looked around at the space he had fought for and sighed. He was more miserable than ever.


	7. February 1986

February 1986- New York City

A week before Valentine's Day, Lee had called the florist and set up his Valentine's Day order of a dozen purple roses for Nina. He hadn't been able to bring himself to take Kazuya's sound advice yet. He knew he should've just told Nina the truth instead of prolonging things, but she had wanted this relationship for so long. He just couldn't help feeling like he owed it to her to try for a little longer at least.

On Valentine's Day, Lee was aghast when a bouquet of two dozen white roses arrived for him at Keller Industries. When the flower delivery boy knocked on his door, Lee had raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"I think you must be looking for Cheryl Kline… next office," Lee stated.

"No. I'm looking for Lee Chaolan. The girl at the front desk told me this was your office?"

"Yeah. Um. Thanks," Lee said, flustered, clearing off the far right hand corner of his desk for the flowers.

"You're welcome. So you know, I didn't lose the card in the van or anything. There wasn't one. I even checked on the way out of the shop to make sure it was supposed to be like this. Maybe it's from your secret admirer. Anyway, happy Valentine's Day," the delivery boy stated with friendly smile and a shrug, leaving quickly after putting down the flowers.

Lee shook his head at the flowers and tried to get back to work, but he felt almost like the flowers were watching him. He contemplated throwing the flowers in the garbage, but he was sure that by the end of the day everyone in the office would have been talking about that. Instead, Lee got up and brought the flowers to the break room and set them in the middle of the large rectangular table. He then returned to his office with multiple sets of eyes on him. He supposed he had underestimated the degree to which that action may have seemed strange, but he merely shook it off and got back to work. At lunch time, he went into the break room and grabbed his lunch from the refrigerator to take back to his desk. He didn't feel like talking about the fucking flowers.

"Lee… nice flowers. Who are they from?" asked Cheryl Kline, his bubbly blonde immediate superior in HR. The other girls around the table chimed in, indicating that they were also curious.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, ladies, but they're just from my mother," Lee lied with a smile.

"Well, they're precious anyway," opined Gretchen, an overweight older lady from the customer service department. She then added, "Do you know that so far you're the only one to get any flowers?"

"That's terrible. Maybe they just haven't arrived yet," Lee posited still smiling.

"Did you get flowers for anyone?" Cheryl asked. Lee watched as Hannah from accounting squirmed waiting for the answer. He thought she had a thing for him.

"Yeah… I ordered a dozen purple roses for my girlfriend."

The women all cooed over how sweet Lee was.

"Are you taking her anywhere?"

"No… she has to work, so I'm just going to cook something for her," Lee replied.

The women made their collective 'aww' noise again.

Lee had smiled and excused himself. He heard one of the women at the table commenting that the temp agency ought to send over about ten more just like him and they began to giggle. Lee shut his door so he couldn't hear them anymore. Lee began to pick at this lunch, but found he wasn't hungry. He remembered the first time Heihachi had given him white roses. The night after Kazuya had moved out of the house, Lee had told Heihachi that he would prefer to sleep in the bedroom with him from that point forward. The next night when Lee had entered the bedroom, there had been two dozen white roses on the nightstand on his side of the bed. As pleased he'd been with the gift of the flowers then, he was equally irritated by the flowers now.

When the day was over, Lee had left the office without taking the flowers and proceeded straight to the gym that he had become a member of at the beginning of that month; eating leftover Italian food was starting to ruin his six pack and that was unacceptable. After working out for two hours, Lee jogged back to the apartment. When he checked the mail, he was initially perturbed to find a red envelope in the mailbox. However, when he saw the handwriting on the envelope he smiled.

Upon opening the generic looking Valentine's Day card, Lee found that Kazuya had drawn a little picture that was supposed to be them doing karaoke together at the top of the page, but it was a good thing he had labeled it, because he wasn't sure he would have known what it was supposed to be otherwise. It kind of looked like two men hugging as their ship sank while music notes bounced off their heads. Apparently, though, it was them. Not singing "Suspicious Minds" because Kazuya had a much larger repertoire. It said so right in the label. Below Kazuya had written him a little note.

'Hey.

I miss you. I'm coming back to the city for your birthday. And by then, you better have found us a seriously awesome karaoke bar. I screwed up last time I was in New York and didn't even ask you about that, but now you've been warned, so be prepared.

I hope you are doing well. I hope that I didn't upset you the last time we talked. I wasn't trying to pry or tell you what to do. I was just trying to help you. I hope that whatever you've decided to do about your relationship with Nina is making you happy. That's all I want for you.

By the way, Happy Valentine's Day. I know you're a pretty classy guy, so you probably remembered and have already bought Nina something. If not though, you can always run to the grocery store and buy her some flowers. Do it Kazuya style.

Get ready for May 2; it's gonna be amazing.

-Kazuya'

Lee beamed and bounded upstairs to shower and then get started on the Valentine's Day dinner. This more than made up for the flowers.

"Hey… so what's the drunkest you've ever been?" Nina asked Lee, jabbing him in the chest with her forefinger. They were sitting on the floor in front of the loveseat, sharing a bottle of wine.

"When Kazuya took me to Disneyland for my twentieth birthday."

"You were drunk at Disneyland?" Nina asked, eyes wide. Lee smiled. She was pretty cute when she was tipsy.

"No. After the first day at the park, Kazuya got all this booze and brought it up to our hotel room. I got so drunk that I ended up puking on him. He says was for the best because at that point he was starting to worry that I would need to get my stomach pumped," Lee recalled. He didn't mention that he had decided to get ridiculously drunk in order to try to suppress his urge to tell Kazuya about his feelings for him.

"Anna had to get her stomach pumped once."

"Color me surprised."

Nina giggled and kissed Lee on the cheek.

"This is the best Valentine's Day ever! When I got those roses at work, all the other girls were so jealous! Wait till I tell them about dinner! Wait till I tell my Dad you made me boxty and coddle. He won't believe it!"

"Well, I'm glad it made you happy, but for the record, when I was trying to figure out what to make for you, I came across a whole lot of things in Irish recipes that made me think you ought to lay off with your remarks about Chinese cooking," Lee replied, taking Nina's hand gently.

"I just want to tell you, you're the best boyfriend. Even though… you know," Nina said, nudging Lee with her elbow harder than she meant to.

"What?" Lee asked.

"Well, you know… how the sex isn't that good. Do you think we're doing it wrong?" Nina whispered.

"No. I just think we haven't figured each other out yet. It'll be fine," Lee replied, taking another sip of his wine and looking away.

"Good. I hope so. You know, you might not know this, but I've been in love with you since I was nine."

"Wow. That's a long time."

"I know and it's totally weird, but you even just giving me a chance now is a dream come true. You know, the first time you ever took me out, I didn't think we'd ever get to this point. I thought you didn't like me and that was that. I always wondered about the kind of girls you liked and I always wondered what I could do to make you like me better," Nina gushed.

Lee just squeezed her hand in response. The way she was talking non-stop reminded him a bit of Anna, but he decided that it wouldn't be smart to tell her that.

"There's nothing I could do, right? Because if there was, I would do it "

"Absolutely not. I like you the way you are," Lee told her.

"Thanks. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"What do you think about Anna and Kazuya?"

"What do you mean?" Lee asked.

"Like, are they going to stay together or what?" Nina asked.

"I'm not sure. He really likes her, but Heihachi can be pretty ethnocentric. I think he expects Kazuya to marry a Japanese woman ultimately," Lee replied.

"I don't know that Kazuya would let that bother him- not if he really wanted to marry Anna. You know, as much as she and I don't get along, sometimes I still worry about her. I think she fully expects to be engaged to Kazuya by the end of this year. And she wants a six month engagement, then a year of traveling, then a baby the next year. She's had this planned out for a while now."

"With Kazuya?"

"Well, not at first, but by the time she had turned eighteen, yeah. Do you think he's ready for all that?" Nina asked.

"No. I don't know how forthcoming she is with him about her plans, but I can tell you that Kazuya would say no to all of that. At least on that timeframe."

"You know, she thinks he's going to get the Zaibatsu."

"I'm sure he is. He deserves it."

"Sure, but don't you feel like you should go back and take your share? Don't you think Kazuya would prefer it?" Nina asked.

"Yeah… I guess, but anyway, Kazuya really likes Anna, but he's never told me that he's in love with her. I think that if he were, he would say."

"Yeah… I guess you would know. But at the same time, I know she's thinking he's twenty-six and he should be thinking about settling down and all that."

"He's not, though. If he had any intention of proposing, he would tell me," Lee snapped defensively, letting go of Nina's hand to push back his hair.

"I'm sure he would. It's not worth getting upset over, though. I was just wondering if you knew anything about his intentions. That's all." Nina replied, seemingly surprised by Lee's sudden outburst.

In all fairness, Lee was somewhat surprised by it, too. How could it never have occurred to him that Kazuya might eventually marry Anna? Miserable and slightly nauseated at the thought, Lee stood up and grabbed his cigarettes.

"I'm going to go out for a smoke. Just enjoy the wine. I'll just be a few minutes," Lee stated mechanically, heading towards the bedroom and going out to the fire escape. Looking at the waning gibbous moon as he smoked his cigarette, he wondered for the first time if he had made a huge mistake. It seemed he had thrown away something comfortable and satisfying simply because he desired the impossible. The result had been misery and agony. Being away from Kazuya hadn't made his feelings for him easier to deal with; Kazuya was never far from his thoughts. Knowing that he was probably inflicting just as much pain as he was feeling on Heihachi by continuing to shun him after leaving so abruptly made him feel like a dreadful, selfish ingrate. And now in attempt to give Nina what she had apparently always wanted, he was deluding her horribly. And for what reason? Originally because he had thought Kazuya would have encouraged him to pursue the relationship, but now it was clear that Kazuya just wanted him to be happy. And Nina deserved to be happy, too. And she never would be with him.

By the time Lee had finished his cigarette, he had resolved to go back into the apartment and break up with Nina. However upon entering the living room and seeing her curled up on the loveseat, hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing, Lee's resolve broke. He instead rushed over, embraced her, and apologized profusely.

"I'm sorry, too. I know I'm being stupid, but I just hate it when you're mad at me. And sometimes I just have no idea what happened and you're just suddenly angry with me."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be like that. I just… I don't know what Kazuya's going to do. That's all. And I don't think he should marry Anna just because she thinks it's time. That's all."

"And I agree. I just think that she might end up hurt and disappointed because of her plans. That's all. I feel a little bad for her, but I'm not surprised."

Lee just nodded. He couldn't talk about it anymore.

"I'm sorry for getting so upset. It was stupid. Probably the wine. Maybe we should go to bed?" Nina asked.

"Yeah," Lee agreed, standing up and then helping Nina to her feet.

"I bought something new before work… do you want me to put it on?" Nina asked, sitting on the side of the bed.

"Sure," Lee replied.

"Ok… it won't be a surprise if you-"

"Yeah. I'll do the dishes. I'll be back in a few minutes," Lee replied, leaving and shutting the door behind him.

After completing the dishes in fifteen minutes, Lee returned to the bedroom and was relieved to find that Nina had fallen asleep. He gently put the afghan from the foot of the bed over her, covering her exquisite body which was clothed in a purple and black lace corset, matching panties, and black stockings with lace tops. He sighed as he got into the bed beside her. Nope, he thought, definitely not attracted to women.


	8. March 1986

March 1986, New York City

I can't believe I'm doing this, Nina thought to herself as she dialed the phone. I can't believe it. Can't fucking believe it, Nina thought as the phone began to ring. Fighting the little voice in her head that kept telling her to hang up, Nina took a deep breath and waited. Just as she was about to give up, Anna answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Anna… it's me. Do you have some time? I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure… but you scared me half to death! It's quarter to midnight here and I was just getting out of the shower! I thought for sure something happened to Daddy," Anna replied breathlessly.

"Oh… sorry. I didn't realize it was so late. Are you sure it's alright?" Nina asked.

"Yeah. Kazuya just dropped me off. I was just getting a shower and heading to bed, but I'd much rather say up and talk to you. How are you doing? Kazuya never tells me anything."

"Oh. I'm good. You?"

"Nina… if you were good, you probably wouldn't be calling me. Now what's really going on?" Anna demanded.

"Did Kazuya tell you that Lee and I are dating?"

"Yeah… he mentioned that. Barely. He doesn't like to talk about Lee much because he misses him so much. I try not to even bring him up anymore. Congratulations, though, on Lee. Is he everything you hoped and dreamed?"

"No… not exactly," Nina replied.

"Is that the problem?"

"Yeah. It's just… he's a really amazing guy. He's one of my best friends and I love him and he's smart, thoughtful, and gorgeous."

"Such problems! Maybe that's why my beau broods like Heathcliff on the fuckin' moor at the mere mention of him."

"Those aren't the problems, Anna. You know, maybe this was a bad idea," Nina said.

"No… I'm sorry. I'll stop. I'm just a little irritated. Kazuya dropped me off tonight, as opposed to coming up or inviting me back to his place, because I made a comment that some guy at the bar had the same boots as Lee. I'm sorry, I'll stop now."

"Fine… so the problem is that I think he might not like women… you know. Not like a sexist, but like a…" Nina floundered.

"Like a gay?"

"Sure… like he might be gay."

"Well, what kind of proof do you have?"

"Uh… nothing conclusive, I guess. But he almost never wants to have sex and when we do, it's really awkward and it's not getting any better. On Valentine's Day, he bought me these really beautiful roses and made me dinner, but the only thing he did that night was the dishes. When he saw that I'd fallen asleep, he just covered me up and went to sleep. I was in this corset thing… it was ridiculous," Nina explained, electing to leave out the part about the spat that they had essentially over Kazuya's intentions toward Anna.

"Well, it doesn't sound good," Anna commented, and then added, "You know, he always kind of struck me that way. He's too good of a dancer to be straight. And I always thought it was odd how he kept living there, you know, with Heihachi long after Kazuya left home. This could explain a lot."

"Stop being gross. You know that can't be true," Nina said, unwilling to even entertain her sister's twisted notion. It was just too disgusting.

"Well, sorry. It was just a thought. So, what are you planning to do?"

"I don't know. See, the other day on St. Patrick's Day, I had the day off and I went to the parade and some bars… and Lee was working for the day, but even when I called him about meeting up with him after work, he said no. He's been really obsessed with going to the gym lately, so whatever… I was having a good time, you know, just wandering around and seeing the sights."

"Drinking green beer?"

"Aye…and then at this one bar, I met this guy, Aiden. He's from Ireland and he's here on a student visa at NYU studying anthropology. But we were talking and he's thinking about dropping out and going back to Ireland. His brother is involved in the IRA and-"

"Nina… how much green beer did you drink?! I know that you're bummed that your boyfriend is gay, but it's no reason to run off and join the fucking Irish Republican Army! What would Daddy say!?" Anna squealed.

"Fuck's sake, Anna, I didn't say that! Mainly the issue is that this guy seemed really cool… and he gave me his phone number. He asked me to call him. I said maybe. And as for the IRA, they're doing important work. Really, though, this is why I called you. About Aiden."

"Gosh, Nina. In general, I think you'd be better off breaking up with Lee. Not necessarily to go out with this Aiden the anthropologist, but because you're pretty sure he's gay. You'd probably both be happier if you weren't in this sham relationship. I think you both deserve to find good boyfriends, BUT I don't necessarily think that would-be radical Irish nationals that you meet while you're guzzling green beer would make good boyfriends. Or guys that you pick up in the gym. Have you ever been to Lee's gym?" Anna asked coyly.

"Yes! It's not _that _kind of gym. I have a membership, too, and I go, but not obsessively. He's training like he's in tournament mode. It's ridiculous."

"Yeah, but from what Kazuya has told me, that was the norm when they were growing up. It wouldn't surprise me if he trained like that the entire time he lived at home. Heihachi's training regimen is crazy and he's always on Kazuya about not training enough. And Daddy once told me, that Heihachi told him that he wasn't pushing us hard enough."

"Eh, fucking douche- I hope Dad told him to fuck himself, but back to my point. If you were me, what would you do?" Nina persisted.

"I already told you I'd break up with Lee and I've strongly implied I wouldn't waste my time on Aiden. Plus, what kind of job is an anthropologist? What's the outlook? What do you do? Go live in a hut in New Guinea? Ugh… that would be the worst."

"Well, money isn't the most important thing to everyone and-"

"Seriously, Nina... you're obviously willing to make sacrifices for somebody you care about. Going with Lee to New York proved that. If Kazuya asked me to run off with him and find a job and pretend like we were poor, I don't think I could do it. I love him, but if he asked me to do that, I'd ask him to have his head examined."

"_You_ would, but let's pretend that the guy I met was a junior executive with a penthouse. Then what would you say?"

"Then I'd say go for it, but he's not. He was just a disillusioned college kid trying to pick up a pretty girl. I think you need to try to approach this a little more rationally."

"Like you and Kazuya? How's that going?" Nina cracked, well aware that things were not going at a pace her sister would've liked.

"Fine," Anna answered defensively.

"Really? How do you know? Did you get some flowers from a gas station or something?"

"Don't be a bitch."

"I'm not. I was just wondering if he proposed or asked you to move in or anything. Apparently not, it seems."

"No," Anna replied gloomily.

"Well, maybe a man with less would be more willing to commit completely."

"Maybe. I don't know. Anyway you got your answers. It sounds like I didn't say what you wanted to hear, but I told you honestly what I think. I suppose I should go now."

"So, that's it then? Not even a good slam back for all that? Just 'don't be a bitch?'" Nina asked.

"Yeah. Look, I've been thinking about calling you for the past week, actually, because I think- I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, good, right? I mean, he's trapped and you get what you want," Nina ventured, attempting to be supportive.

"No. He's been really clear about that, actually. He's told me a bunch of times that if this ever happened, he'd be really angry and that would be it. I didn't do this on purpose, but he'd never believe that. I've got to get it taken care of without him finding out."

"Anna. Is that really what you want?" Nina asked, genuinely feeling concern for her sister's wellbeing.

"No," Anna replied, obviously on the verge of tears.

"If I were in your situation, I would tell Kazuya, and if he broke up with you or got angry, who cares? Fuck him! Sue him for child support! If you want the baby, have the baby."

"Yeah… but if I do this now, it's over with him. I'd never get another chance. I love him too much to let that happen. Once we're married, we can have other ones."

Nina sighed. Part of her wanted to fly to Japan and beat the shit out of Kazuya. Another part of her wanted to sneer at her sister, 'What would Daddy think of that?', while yet another part of her wanted to tell Lee everything and have him set things right. He could convince Kazuya to do the right thing. She was sure of it.

"Nina… you can't tell Lee. He'd tell Kazuya and Kazuya can't know," Anna said. She was obviously crying.

"But I think he could help. I think he could get Kazuya to-"

"NO!" Anna wailed loudly.

"So, you're set then? That's what you're doing? Getting an abortion?"

"Yes," Anna answered quietly.

"Do you want me to come back and take you?" Nina asked in a subdued voice. She closed her eyes and waited for Anna to respond.

"No… it's so sweet of your to offer, but no. Kazuya would know something was going on if you-"

"Fuck Kazuya! If he really loved you and was worth marrying, you could tell him this! Gay or not, if Lee got me up the pole, he'd support me no matter what! Anna, _you_ have to make choices _you_ can live with. Doing something that you might regret for the rest of your life to keep a man is the stupidest thing you can do; you'll end up resenting him," Nina told her sister. Her eyes filled with angry tears. She was ready to run all the way to Keller Industries and burst into Lee's office until she heard her sister erupt into laughter. Nina scowled, knowing what was coming next.

"You're so easy! Don't ever change, Nina!" Anna giggled.

"Bitch."

"Love you, too, sis," Anna replied, made a kiss noise into the receiver and hung up.

"Fucking bitch!" Nina yelled even though Anna had already hung up. She slammed down the phone and proceeded to head toward the shower. She may have made some good points, but she was still a massive bitch.

As Nina seethed, Anna sat at her kitchen table half a world away, sobbing brokenly and wishing she could have taken the comfort her sister had offered.


	9. April 1986

April 1986- Japan

Heihachi Mishima growled as he noticed a cobweb where the wall met the high ceiling in the left corner of the living room. Yet another reminder of Lee's absence; Lee had been managing the household staff on his own since he was nineteen. One winter evening after Heihachi had arrived home late following a business meeting with Richard Williams, he had walked into the kitchen and found Lee dumping crumbs out of the toaster into the sink.

"What on Earth are you doing?" Heihachi asked, arching his left eyebrow, as usual highly amused by Lee.

"Well, I noticed awhile back that no one seems to clean out the toaster. It's a minor fire hazard-"

Heihachi smirked.

"Well, it is! Anyway, I noticed that there were always crumbs under the toaster, so this is just something that I do sometimes." Lee explained.

"Who do I fire?" Heihachi asked, smile fading as Lee rinsed the crumbs from the sink with kitchen sink hose.

"No one. Don't be so heartless," Lee said, wiping his hands on the kitchen towel. "You know, I could manage the staff if you want me to."

"An enticing offer, but your studies should be your priority," Heihachi stated, embracing Lee and kissing him lightly.

"Oh, I could handle it. I think I'd actually like it, you know? I have good attention to detail, good people skills. You should think about it."

"There's more to it than you realize," Heihachi said, kissing Lee again and then heading to the cabinet, taking out two snifters, and subsequently pouring each of them a glass of brandy from the liquor cabinet. Lee took a sip of his brandy and leaned against the counter, pouting.

Heihachi sighed.

"If I let you take over management of the staff, it cannot interfere with your studies. If it does, I will resume managing the staff and the toaster may ignite and burn the place down, but I will not settle for less than perfect grades from you."

"You won't have to- I can absolutely handle it. You won't be sorry," Lee told him, smiling and taking another sip of the brandy.

Heihachi growled.

"What now?" Lee teased.

"You drink it too fast. I ought to limit you to Boone's Farm. You know, this particular bottle of cognac cost thousands of dollars. It was aged in oak for twenty years and you're about to down your entire glass in twenty seconds."

Lee merely smiled, bolted what was left of his drink, and placed his glass in the sink.

Heihachi growled again as he swirled his glass.

"You know, I'm convinced there are some things rich guys do- like the whole brandy drinking protocol- just to be pretentious," Lee commented.

"Well, you're a rich guy; maybe you should learn," Heihachi replied.

"Maybe," Lee responded, and then added, "I'll be upstairs. I'm going to smoke a cigarette on the balcony and then I'll be waiting for you. Don't just stand here swirling your brandy all night."

Heihachi watched him walk past. He had never seen anyone, male or female, with a sexier walk than Lee Chaolan. If it hadn't been for Lee's plan to go out and smoke, Heihachi would have bolted his brandy and chased after him. As it was, Lee's smoking repulsed him and there seemed to be nothing he could do or say to get the boy to quit smoking. He had reiterated his disgust and concern on countless occasions. He had suggested that Lee try hypnotism or acupuncture. The first suggestion garnered a giggle and a demand to 'Get serious!' while the second one warranted a shudder followed by fierce head shaking. When Lee had been seventeen, he had even made special prearrangements with the university that the tour guide would show Lee a cancerous lung in a jar in the biology department during his tour of the university. Lee had given it a perfunctory glance, clearly understanding Heihachi's game, and then asked where they were in relation to the engineering department. Kazuya had followed up by asking where they were in relation to a vending machine. Accepting that he had been bested, Heihachi merely growled and let the enthusiastic student tour guide lead them to the engineering department.

As it turned out, Lee was excellent at managing the staff and it never once interfered with his studies or his subsequent career. Shortly after Lee took the task over, Heihachi noticed that houseplants looked healthier, the floors looked shinier, and there were no longer any cobwebs on the chandeliers or in the corners. When Heihachi had remarked upon Lee's evident success, Lee had smiled modestly and claimed that it wasn't a big deal. Though the house was maintained in a state of constant perfection and the gardens grew lovelier by the year, Lee always acted as though it was nothing. After a particularly successful dinner party with important business contacts Heihachi had made during a subsequent trip to Sweden, he had thanked Lee yet again for his efforts, as the boy irreverently threw what remained of an ice sculpture of a tiger in the pool while he smoked a cigarette.

"Well, you're welcome. You know, it's nothing, really," Lee replied, standing back as he smoked his cigarette, seemingly a little flustered as he turned his attention on the rapidly melting tiger.

"Well, you're being modest again, but I really appreciate it. I know it's difficult. I certainly didn't do as well as you do, and my wife was positively at a loss… so thank you," Heihachi stated awkwardly before lumbering away and leaving Lee to his cigarette and the apparently mesmerizing vanishing ice tiger.

Believing that would be the end of it as usual, Heihachi was surprised that night when Lee had climbed into bed, laid his head on Heihachi's chest and made an unprecedented request.

"Tell me about your wife," Lee requested, as simply and plainly as a child would ask for a bedtime story. In honesty, Heihachi had been expecting this for some time now. After all, they had been together for almost five years. Clearly, his comment by the poolside had emboldened him enough to finally ask.

"She was… nice," Heichachi stated blandly, beginning to stroke Lee's hair.

"Nice?" Lee asked.

"Yes. She was very sweet."

"And what else?"

"She was very pretty."

"Was she intelligent?"

"Not overly, but she wasn't stupid… her problems managing the staff stemmed from an inability to be authoritative- not stupidity. She had issues giving orders- especially to women who were older and had been in the household longer than she had. I tried not to interfere, as it was her role, but at times it was necessary," Heihachi explained sensing that this question was linked to his previous comment about Kazumi's difficulties in managing the household.

"Did you love her?"

"Yes…"

"But?"

"Even then… there had already been a scandal. I had been caught cavorting with the son of one of my father's business associates. I didn't want to marry, but when my father introduced me to Kazumi, I felt I had to comply."

"You felt you had to comply? How romantic," Lee remarked sarcastically.

"I'll forgive you because you don't understand," Heihaci commented morosely, ceasing to stroke Lee's hair, and then continued, "It was an arranged marriage. She was counting on it and when I met her, I felt ashamed for carrying on the way I had."

"And when you married her, this cavorting came to an end?" Lee asked.

"Yes… completely. Until long after she passed. I didn't intend to ever return to it, but I couldn't help myself," Heihachi admitted disdainfully, hating to acknowledge that he possessed any drives over which he lacked full control.

"How long were you married?"

"Nearly five years."

"Then she died in childbirth?"

"Yes."

"Did you want to have children?"

"Yes… initially. That's a strange question."

"Initially is a strange answer," Lee replied, moving Heihachi's hand back to his hair. Heihachi took the hint and began stroking Lee's hair again.

"I say initially because initially when we were married, we both looked forward to having a family. But then, after we'd been married a little less than a year, she had her first miscarriage. She was devastated, but the doctor just told her we should try again and we did…for three years and in the course of those three years, she had four more miscarriages. And her doctor had no answers for her, so I had a specialist come from New York to examine her. After he had concluded his examination, he told us that we should stop trying. He said it was too dangerous and that if she did carry a pregnancy full term that the birth itself would pose a serious risk. I was disappointed, but I told her that I thought it would be best if we took the doctor's advice. Kazumi disagreed vehemently. The next time we conceived, she did carry the child full term… she was so determinedly optimistic, but what the doctor said was never far from my mind. When she died a few hours after Kazuya was born… I regretted my decision to give in to her and go against my better judgment."

"But she chose to continue to try to have a baby… against the expert's advice and against your wishes that she not put her life at risk."

Heihachi grunted agreement. It was still painful to talk about Kazumi.

"She thought he was worth the risk. Do you ever think about how she would feel about your relationship with Kazuya?" Lee asked pointedly.

Heihachi growled and threw Lee to the side violently and abruptly.

"Perhaps this is my own fault, as I am guilty of spoiling you and treating you better than you deserve. I've been indulgent of your whims and forgiving of your faults. Because I love you, I have let you say and do as you pleased almost entirely without repercussion, but this is a subject on which we cannot speak. You will not accuse me of having mistreated my son and you will ask me to consider how my deceased wife would view matters. Do not presume to understand my relationship with my son based on the unending list of grievances he has no doubt presented you with. You are not a Mishima; you never will be. There is much you do not and cannot understand," Heihachi stated brusquely.

"Because I'm a filthy Chinese orphan… good enough to fuck, but that's about all, right?" Lee asked sarcastically, getting out of the bed and putting on his robe. "I should just keep watching the two people I care the most about be consumed with hate for each other even when I know it's hurting both of them more than they would ever admit. Even though it hurts me to watch them tear each other apart… because I'm just some trash you picked up on a business trip!"

"Lee, I did not say-"

"I know what you said!" Lee thundered, slamming the door behind him as he left the room.

Heihachi sighed, instantly regretting much of what he'd said. However, he would not stand for Lee lecturing him about his relationship with Kazuya. After sulking sleeplessly for nearly an hour, Heihachi donned his robe and went to find Lee. After an extensive search of the house, Heihachi happened to look out one of the kitchen windows and saw Lee sitting on a bench in the garden, drinking straight from a bottle of champagne left over from the party. Heihachi growled, put on his geta, and went out the sliding door and walked toward the bench.

"Don't come over here," Lee slurred as Heihachi approached. He could see that Lee had been crying.

"I apologize. I love you, you're drunk, and you're coming to bed," Heihachi stated.

"No."

"Do you plan to walk or am I carrying you?"

"Neither! I-"

"Suit yourself," Heihachi said, scooping Lee up in his arms as though he weighed nothing and proceeding towards the sliding door.

"Put me down!"

"No," Heihachi replied, managing to open the door and get through it. He then took the mostly empty bottle of champagne from Lee's hand and placed it on the island counter.

"After what you said to me, do you really think I want to go back up there with you?" Lee asked, clearly struggling to put together a coherent sentence.

"No… I'm sure you don't, but you need to go to bed," Heihachi replied, carrying Lee up the stairs. He opened the door and put Lee down on the bed in his robe and put the covers over him gently.

Heihachi went around to his side of the bed, took off his robe and geta and got in. For several minutes, he listened to Lee sob with his back to him. Heihachi sighed, moving over to Lee's side of the bed and attempting to put his arm over Lee, but Lee swatted his arm away with a hard smack.

Heihachi waited a few more minutes, all the while feeling increasingly guilty, and then swiftly embraced Lee, not giving him to chance to fend him off. Lee didn't even attempt to fight him this time.

"Do you want me to go?' Heihachi asked.

"No," Lee replied, taking a deep breath followed by a hiccup.

"Are you done?"

"Yes," Lee replied, hiccupping again. Heihachi could feel him tense up as he held his breath in an effort to cure his hiccups.

"I'm sorry," Heihachi reiterated once the remedy was apparently complete.

"You got angry at me because I was right," Lee stated in a soft but firm voice.

Heihachi sighed and kissed the top of Lee's ear.

"Yes… but Kazuya is not a complete innocent in this. He enjoys constantly antagonizing me."

"It's a learned behavior… like father like son. And you both fall prey to each other so easily. It would be funny if it weren't so sad," Lee commented.

Heihachi growled. Though thoroughly vexed by Lee's comments, he was impressed that he had not intimidated Lee into silence by his prior outburst.

"I would like for that to be the conclusion of this particular conversation."

"Fine. Goodnight."

Heihachi kissed the top of Lee's ear again, holding him tightly, searching for a way to tell Lee the depth of his feeling for him, but he didn't know how to express it. Also, and perhaps most problematically, he was unsure if the feeling mutual.

And now, he thought looking at the cobweb in the corner, he knew that it was not. Perhaps he should've brought it up back in 1981 to save time because now things were certainly a mess. Though his most recent intelligence reports indicated that Lee's pitiful relationship with the Williams girl had seemingly come to a predictable and inconsequential end, he hadn't been remotely concerned about Lee's brief foray into heterosexuality. If it was anything like most of his own experiences with the alleged fairer sex, it was short-lived and highly unsatisfying.

What concerned him was the same thing that had bothered him that night and many other times over the years: Lee's strong feelings for Kazuya. He hated that they were friends when he intended them to be enemies. He hated the way Lee's face lit up when Kazuya walked into the room and he hated when Lee would defend or try to protect him. But most of all, he hated that Kazuya merely basked in it like the oblivious idiot he was.

Oblivious idiot, indeed, Heihachi thought reflecting on the evening's events and actually feeling a little sympathetic towards Kazuya. In response to an item of intelligence he had received at the end of March, Heihachi had taken it upon himself to call the trampy Williams girl directly in order to invite her and Kazuya to dinner. Unlike her sullen blonde sister, Anna did not seem intimidated by him and he liked that. Unlike Kazuya, he knew that Anna would accept the invitation. When Anna, who was typically bubbly and flirty during their every encounter told him sedately that the first Friday in April would work, he began to suspect that the investigator's assertion may have been correct.

That evening when they arrived, Heihachi noted that Anna looked pale and tired as she rushed over to embrace him. He permitted it as Kazuya rolled his eyes behind her back. Aware of Anna's infamous mealtime indecisiveness, Heihachi had decided to serve a wide variety of tapas in order to cater to Anna's whims. He had watched her attack some dishes with her characteristic voracity while passing on other items after smelling them. He watched her almost gag after smelling a bowl of olives and then proceed to nearly knock the bowl into Kazuya's lap in an attempt to get the olives away from her.

"Gosh… you know, I've never really been a fan of olives, but those seem pretty pungent. Are you sure they're right?" Anna asked, taking a sip of her water.

"They're fine," Kazuya confirmed, munching on an olive straight from the bowl.

"You have a plate," Heihachi pointed out.

"I know. Look," Kazuya stated, picking out another olive from the bowl with his fingers, setting it on the plate and then picking it up to eat it. "Happy?"

"Thrilled," Heihachi replied sarcastically.

"Kazuya, use your manners," Anna purred.

Kazuya rolled his eyes at her.

"I see you get that, too?" Heihachi teased.

"All the time."

"And how is your sister?"

"Fine, I guess. She barely talks to me- we talked a few weeks ago, but we haven't spoken since," Anna replied, attacking an empanadilla with her knife and fork as she spoke.

That was true enough. She wasn't disclosing anything, but she wasn't lying either.

"Family can be difficult," Heihachi stated.

"That's the understatement of the year," Kazuya cracked in between bites of queso con anchoas.

"Yeah… but not as difficult as watching him eat whatever that it," Anna commented, wincing as Kazuya took another bite of cheese covered with anchovies.

"It is disgusting," Heihachi agreed, watching Kazuya continue to eat it.

"Well, if you think it's disgusting, why are you serving it? As the host, don'tcha get a say?" Anna teased, pushing her plate away slowly with her left hand and averting her eyes deliberately from Kazuya.

"Planning menus bores me. I told my chef to prepare tapas, knowing that you enjoy variety, but I must admit I initialed the menu he submitted for my approval without reading it. Perhaps I should stop doing that."

"Or at least maybe you could tell him not to make anything that gross… and to forget about the olives. I appreciate the sentiment, though I must say, I don't think it's the variety I enjoy half so much as taking things I know other people want," Anna admitted with a smile.

Heihachi laughed.

"You remind me of this girl I dated in Sweden. She was absolutely wicked," Heihachi remarked, recalling Ingrid Alexandersson with a smile. She was a captivating and beautiful woman, but when he was with her all he could think about was the boy he had left behind in Japan. When he had guiltily explained about his affair to Lee when he returned from Sweden, Lee, as inscrutable as ever, merely laughed and asked him if he had gotten it out of his system. Relieved and confused, Heihachi affirmed that he had. He had never cheated on Lee again after that. His own guilt had been enough of a repercussion to keep him from straying again.

"Well, I'm certainly not a Swede, just as certain as I am wicked," Anna purred.

"Ugh… do you have to flirt with my Dad?" Kazuya asked, piling some pork onto his plate.

"No, but it's fun," Anna replied.

Kazuya rolled his eyes.

"You know, you cannot continue to eat like this forever. Your-"

"Metabolism will change and you'll end up getting fat… I need to train harder… yeah, I know, Dad. French fries are the work of the American devil and when you watched _Rocky IV_, you were all like 'Is that all he's doing to get ready for the fight?' as he climbed up a fucking Siberian matterhorn with a tree on his back."

"I have not seen this film you speak of, but it sounds asinine. Siberia is quite flat and the Matterhorn is a specific mountain in the Alps."

"I don't know about that, but the movie was pretty asinine," Anna confirmed.

"You're a girl, so you don't get it," Kazuya replied.

Anna shrugged, obviously not offended or concerned about her alleged inability to understand the finer points of _Rocky IV_.

After another hour and a half of conversation, accompanied by coffee and dessert in the living room, Kazuya indicated that he was ready to go and Heihachi did not try to stop him. He had ascertained that the investigator had probably been correct. The stunt Anna had pulled on her sister hadn't fooled the investigator; he had told Heihachi that he was almost positive that she had told a lie after regretting that she had told the truth. After seeing her drawn face and watching her nearly vomit after smelling a bowl of olives, he was relatively sure that Anna Williams was pregnant. The investigator had also assured him that she planned to get an abortion. Heihachi couldn't imagine that would be what Kazuya would want if he knew about the child and yet he could not even begin to imagine how he could possibly broach the topic with Kazuya.

Peering at the cobweb again, Heihachi silently cursed Lee's absence yet again. Had he been there, Lee could have fixed this problem with his typical aplomb. He may not have been happy about it, as the situation involved the potential for his precious Kazuya to become unattainably married, but he would have dealt with it nonetheless in order to insure Kazuya's happiness. He had learned over the years that Lee placed a high premium on Kazuya's happiness regardless of his own comfort, interests, and feelings.

However, what he failed to recognize was just how much his son did to make Lee happy. Innumerable hours long shopping trips that Kazuya lost interest in after obtaining a new pair of sneakers within the first hour, countless excursions to the science museum to see exhibits about dinosaurs, moon rocks, or marvels of aeronautical engineering, and hours of listening to punk music while Lee dyed his hair, chain smoked, and talked nonstop were completely under Heihachi's radar. Perhaps if he had realized how lost and miserable both boys were when they were apart, he would have developed suspicions that the feelings Lee had for Kazuya were mutual. As it was, he was not happy when Kazuya's vacation time request for the week of Lee's birthday came across his desk, but he knew it would useless to tell Kazuya that he could not go. Clearly, both boys were now disregarding his earlier threats and eventually they would both be sorry.


	10. May 1986

May 1986, New York City

Lee sighed as he looked up from his desk and caught a glimpse of the flower delivery boy walking down the hall with two dozen long-stemmed white roses.

"Hello, Mr. Chaolan" the delivery boy said, as he knocked on the door. It was the same kid who delivered the flowers on Valentine's Day.

"Hi… I didn't catch your name last time," Lee replied, attempting to recollect the boy's name. He was ninety-nine percent sure that the kid's name hadn't come up during their prior exchange. He was great with names. Heihachi had always used him as a crutch at parties and conventions for just that purpose.

"Matt. My name is Matt. So, just the same as Valentine's Day, there's no card- just the flowers. I checked again, but there wasn't," Matt explained, waiting for Lee to clear off the far right hand corner of his desk so he could put down the flowers.

"That's fine. I know who they're from. I don't want them," Lee stated, opening his desk drawer and taking out his wallet. "I'll make it worth your while if you make them disappear."

Matt looked at Lee with wide eyes.

"I'll match the price of the arrangement… I'll sign something saying I got them… whatever. I just don't want them," Lee reiterated.

The boy looked at him as if he were making the request in Chinese. Lee pushed his hair back with his left hand and waited.

"Uh… you see, I can't do that- my Dad would flip if he found out- I work for my Dad," Matt explained, continuing to hold the flowers out in front of his body patiently.

"Yeah… that can be rough," Lee sympathized, thinking of Kazuya as he began clearing off the corner of his desk. Matt looked relieved as he set the flowers down.

"Well, I'm sorry for the trouble… look, take this," Lee told the boy going into his wallet and pulling out a twenty dollar bill for the boy.

"Oh… I couldn't," Matt replied, jamming his hands into his pockets as if to prove that he physically couldn't.

"Please, I insist," Lee said, holding out the twenty for the boy.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course," Lee replied.

"Thank you. I'm sorry you don't like the flowers."

"It's not the flowers I don't like- you can tell your Dad they're beautiful; it's the gesture," Lee explained, sitting down.

Matt nodded awkwardly.

"Well, don't let me keep you," Lee said, dismissing the boy with a smile.

"Yeah… well, happy… uh-"

"Birthday," Lee supplied, still smiling. Given that Kazuya was arriving that evening, nothing could really upset him that day. Not even another unwanted romantic gesture from Heihachi.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Chaolan."

"Thanks, Matt," Lee replied graciously. As soon as the boy walked out, Lee picked up the flowers and walked down the hall to the break room. He put the flowers down in the middle of the break table and walked out.

"Your Mom again?" Cheryl asked, as he walked by her office.

"Yeah… the eccentric old bitch always wanted a daughter," Lee replied, going back into his tiny office and closing the door. He checked his watch. It was only a quarter past ten. This promised to be a very long day.

Lee's heart raced as waited for Kazuya's plane to come in. He knew it was stupid for someone without a car to come to the airport to meet another person's plane, but he just couldn't help it. He needed to see Kazuya as soon as he arrived. Initially Lee had waited in the airport, fidgeting on one of the hard couches and bouncing his crossed leg like an impatient child. When he couldn't stand himself anymore, he decided to go out for a cigarette. Watching a plane take off as he smoked his cigarette, he was surprised to hear Kazuya's voice.

"Damn! You're not on steroids, right? Because you look amazing," Kazuya said, putting down his suitcase and letting go of the handle of his rolling suitcase in order to squeeze Lee's biceps.

"No- just working out a lot," Lee replied, dropping his half finished cigarette and scuffing it out before giving Kazuya a hug.

"Are you training for a tournament or something? Happy birthday, by the way," Kazuya said, squeezing Lee hard.

"Thanks. I was just eating too much Italian food and not working out enough and it got to the point where I had to do something about it."

"And then some."

"It's been really good for me. I didn't realize how much I missed training," Lee replied.

"Have you been working out on your own?"

"Mostly, but you'll never guess who's in town training for a tournament."

"Who?" Kazuya asked, picking up his suitcase and grabbing the handle of his rolling suitcase.

"Try to guess."

"Well, you just told me I'd never be able to, so it seems like a waste of time," Kazuya teased, and then checked his watch. "I have a car coming in fifteen minutes. I didn't expect the flight to be so close to on time."

"That's good because when I let my cab go, I felt pretty dumb."

"Eh, don't sweat it. I got your back. But more importantly, who have you been training with?"

"Fine… Paul Fuckin' Phoenix," Lee replied.

"Get out! Bucket Head? You've been training with Bucket Head?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah, for the past couple weeks. The tournament he's in is on next Saturday. He wants Nina and me to go watch him," Lee said.

"Oh geez… could I still sign up for this thing? I'll prove to him once and for all that the 'draw' we had in that tournament in San Diego was bullshit. Remember how mad my Dad got? I thought he was going to deck that one judge! The 'What's Mishima Style Karate' guy?"

"Yeah… I wish we could've turned 'Is that a legal move?' into a drinking game. That would've helped my bruised ass more than the aspirin," Lee giggled.

"Yeah… well at least you won your fight."

"Yeah, but I didn't have that guy as a judge. I had the MMA cage fighter who went all fanboy on Heihachi right after my match and somebody complained and got him kicked out as a judge."

"Yeah… I wish that guy had turned the page and looked at the schedule. If he had, he might have seen my fight scheduled and realized that it wasn't the time to fawn over the old man. That tournament was just a disaster. Remember when they were going to have the girls fight against each other? Dick Williams was apoplectic."

"Yeah… at that point, he was going to pull the girls from the tournament and Heihachi was thinking about pulling you," Lee commented.

"For real?"

"Yeah… but when they switched the girls' fights and swore up and down that the new judge they were getting was going to be qualified and that it was going to be fair. Heihachi wasn't going to go for it, but Richard convinced him to reconsider."

"When did all this drama happen? Where the fuck was I?" Kazuya asked.

"Chatting up that Austrian guy's girlfriend while I was sitting on ice watching all this shit go down. Did you know he died a few years ago in a plane crash?"

"No… that sucks. Maybe I'll have a chance with Astrid now."

"Kazuya!" Lee chastised.

"No, that's terrible and I had her then anyway and it wasn't that good, but yeah… that Portuguese kid that fought against you- dude, when you went down on your ass that hard forty-five seconds into the fight, I was a little worried, but then when you sprang back up feet first and hit center mass, I wasn't worried about_ you_ anymore."

"Yeah… it's a good thing the 'Is that a legal move?' guy wasn't there yet," Lee replied, feeling stupid for the pang of jealousy he was feeling over a one night stand Kazuya had four years ago.

"Yeah… that one would've been a noodle scratcher for him. Man, you know what the best part of that trip was?" Kazuya asked.

"Hmm?" Lee asked, trying to remember anything good that had happened on that trip. The blowouts over match-ups, rules, and judges, the draw between Kazuya and Paul, and the ass bruise had made for a pretty miserable trip. The only positive part of the trip he could think of was the amazing full body massage that Heihachi had given him while Kazuya had apparently been off banging the Austrian girl. Clearly that wasn't what Kazuya was thinking of.

"When Dick Williams convinced my Dad to let us stay the extra day and go to the zoo with them. That was awesome."

"Oh yeah… that was fun," Lee replied, unsure of why Kazuya was recollecting the experience with such fondness. Maybe he had found a pretty zookeeper to bang while they had been there.

"Yeah and it worked on so many levels. I mean, it was fun to go there and I like animals, but it was even more fun to watch my Dad go there. It's so funny when Dick Williams pushes him around. I didn't even know you could see a baby elephant and not smile, but it's possible. My Dad did it."

"Yeah… I don't know how Richard does that. I always kind of assumed Heihachi let him as a way of handling him, but when I saw him in those golf pants that Richard helped him pick that one time, I wasn't so sure anymore."

"Yeah. He's got this real sly 'Hey, I'm a nice guy with an Irish accent… don't you want to do exactly what I want you to do?' thing that he does" Kazuya said, doing a dismal impersonation of Richard Williams' accent.

"How about 'We're both reasonable men here.'?" Lee asked, referring to another of Richard's favorite catchphrases.

"See, that could be a drinking game. I would love to make a Richard Williams drinking game. That would be a great tool for our next business meeting… he'd be like 'Hello, young man,' and I'd take a drink," Kazuya explained enthusiastically.

"It would be too easy. Plus, how do you figure it would be a great tool? Heihachi would kill you."

"Maybe, but it might be worth it. I told you… once you left work I realized how much I hated it. Maybe my Dad would fire me and I could be a trust fund kid."

"You wouldn't want that… anyway, Nina's indicated that her father's not in the best of health. I'm not sure what that might mean on the business front."

"Nothing yet, but, yeah, he's not. I guess a couple weeks they found a growth in his throat and there was going to be a biopsy. I still haven't heard anything else about it. I don't know how much the girls know. My Dad told me that- not Anna."

"Yeah… Nina must not know. She would be beside herself and she probably would've left to be with him," Lee replied, feeling sympathy for his friend.

"That's true. He's in back in Ireland for now. I think Anna could handle it better than Nina, but I still don't think she'd take it well. I think if she knew, she'd fly home."

"Yeah, I agree. Richard must not want them to know yet; he doesn't want them to worry in case its nothing."

"Yeah, but I don't think he thinks it's nothing from what the old man was saying."

"Well… anyway, he probably doesn't want to worry them before he has to. People handle stuff like this differently."

"Yeah… So, tell me about this tournament! Is the sign up already over?

"Yeah… it was ended last week."

"Dammit! I really wanted to beat on Bucket Head!"

"Trust me- he definitely wanted to beat on you, too. When he first saw me in the gym he was super excited because he thought that meant we were here to train for the tournament and he might get another crack at you."

"Yeah… well, I would've fucking loved that. Why didn't you sign up?"

"Now you sound like Bucket Head."

"Yuck… he's right, though. You should have signed up."

"I don't' know… it would've been weird," Lee replied, pouting and pushing his hair back with his left hand.

"You know, part of living independently is taking charge of things. If you want to enter a tournament, you do it. You shouldn't be thinking about what the old man would say or what I would do or anything else."

"See… that's just it. When Paul was trying to convince me to sign up, I thought about if I really wanted to enter and the answer was no. I have the money. I even spotted him some cash for the balance of his entry fee. I just didn't feel like it," Lee replied. It was the first time since he had moved to New York that he had written a check from the bank account he had before he left Japan. Though initially apprehensive, Lee wasn't really surprised when the check cleared without an issue. Of course Heihachi wouldn't mess with his bank accounts. He was still sending him fucking flowers.

"You could have avenged me- you know, for the draw."

"Yeah… after sparring with Paul, I'd say there's a pretty good chance that wouldn't have worked out."

"Oh, come on. You're ten times as fast as he is."

"Fast isn't the problem. When I could get around him or block him and then get some kicks in, I could usually win, but when his punches actually landed, I found that I was basically fucked. He hits harder than Heihachi."

"No… he just hits harder than the old man hit _you_," Kazuya replied, checking his watch again in a concerted effort not to meet Lee's eyes.

Lee pouted again, wishing they weren't talking about Heihachi. Kazuya seemed to realize his error and changed the subject as the black sedan he had ordered approached.

"So, what's going on with you and Nina?" Kazuya asked, placing his suitcases in the trunk easily before the driver could even offer his assistance.

"The relationship is over. We're still friends. I'll explain about it when we get back to- where are we going?" Lee asked.

"My hotel," Kazuya replied with a smile.

"What?" Lee demanded.

"You're just funny… it's good to see you." Kazuya replied.

"Likewise," Lee responded. They rode the rest of the way in silence to Kazuya's hotel.

"You know, that car driver probably didn't speak Japanese and we probably could've talked about your break up in front of him," Kazuya pointed out to Lee as he opened the door to his suite. It was the same suite he had shared with Anna back in September.

"Yeah… but sometimes I can't help it and I get paranoid like you. There have been times when I've felt like I was being followed or watched and maybe with you in town, we should be a little careful," Lee replied.

"Oh, jeez. You made me feel better about all this and now you're the one freaking out and it's freaking me out, so you should stop," Kazuya teased, putting his suitcase on the suitcase holder and putting the rolling suitcase down next to it.

"I'm not freaking out. I've just been thinking about what Heihachi needs all this surveillance for. It just doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, but it's just like him. He does a lot of things that don't make sense," Kazuya argued.

"You're probably right, but it's creepy feeling like you're being followed," Lee replied, frowning.

Kazuya sighed, walked over to his brother and embraced him.

"You know, I've been thinking about it and what's the worst he's going to find out? You're still smoking? I'm gonna eat twelve hot dogs while I'm here? We're going do some amazing karaoke? It's just stupid stuff that he should already know. There's no benefit to having us followed or tapping our phones. He's just a twisted, bitter old man," Kazuya told him, giving his biceps another squeeze. "Seriously… damn. Maybe _I _should work out with Bucket Head."

"I'm sure he'd be thrilled."

"Yeah…he would. So what happened with you and Nina?" Kazuya asked, taking off his black dress shirt and going to his suitcase and taking out a dark red dress shirt.

"Well, you know that things weren't going well since we talked back in January."

"Yeah, since you boned her," Kazuya recollected bluntly as he put on his shirt.

"Yeah. Anyway, we limped along pathetically until the end of March. One Sunday morning, we were out jogging together and one second she was nagging me about smoking because I had hacked something up and the next thing I knew she was breaking it with me. It was pretty crazy."

"She broke up with you?" Kazuya asked, slightly surprised it had gone that way after the conversation they had in January. He took a comb from a smaller bag attached to the top of the rolling suitcase and began combing his hair in the mirror over the dresser.

"Yeah… she told me that she had met this guy on St. Patrick's Day and that she needed to know the truth from me. Was I happy? Did I love her? Was I gay? And I answered her questions."

"How?" Kazuya asked, turning around to face his brother.

"Sort of, yes, and yes," Lee replied sulkily.

"You're only 'sort of' of happy?" Kazuya asked. He could remember how happy Lee seemed in September when he had been away for a little over a month.

"Yeah… I actually sometimes find myself thinking about the way things were and I wonder what the fuck I was thinking. I miss my career… I'm finding it harder and harder to go to my brainless job day after day and pretend to care. I miss you horribly. I even catch myself missing your father sometimes. Sometimes I wonder if this was all a big fucking mistake."

"I don't think so. I think you had to do it. You know, even if you end up coming back… even if you end up going back to my father, you'll be doing it on your own terms. You'll know what's out there and you'll understand what you might be giving up and what you're really gaining."

"Yeah… maybe."

"So you told her you were gay?"

"Yeah."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. She actually asked me the same thing. It's not something I really wasn't sure about. Even when I tried to make things work with her, I knew. As much as I really do love her and think she's beautiful, I can't help that I'm not attracted to her."

"If you knew the whole time then why did you decide to start dating her?" Kazuya asked.

"Because… it was what she wanted and I thought you would've encouraged it before our conversation in January. After that, I knew you just wanted me to be happy, but before that I thought you wanted me to be straight," Lee replied.

"I never cared about that. I always just wanted you to be happy and I was worried that the nature of your relationship with my father was making you unhappy. I was worried you were being pushed into doing things you didn't want to do and that you hadn't been given a chance to pursue the kind of relationships you wanted. That's why I initially encouraged you to get together with Nina. In case you wanted to but you were afraid."

"I wasn't afraid… I… it would be like if I were forced to do things right handed. It would be a dismal, uncomfortable, sloppy failure; just like my relationship with Nina."

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Kazuya replied.

"No, it really was… Aristotle was right. Women are really moist."

"Yeah… I don't know much about Aristotle, but I have a feeling that's not what he meant," Kazuya replied, taking out a bottle of cologne and spraying some on.

"Probably not, but it's not an inaccurate correlation. Anyway, back when Nina and I were dating, she put in for the night off from the restaurant, so she actually has the night off. If you want, I can call her and we can meet up with her at a restaurant. If you aren't interested, she said that would be okay, too."

"Wait… so, is she dating the new guy or not?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah. His name is Aiden. He's from Ireland. He's a junior at NYU."

"What's he studying?"

"Anthropology."

"Yuck."

"Social sciences are the worst," Lee affirmed.

"I don't mind history because sometimes I like to read history books and watch documentaries, but I hate anthropology and sociology. What a fucking waste of time. Do you know that in sociology, you can study anything? Like, you could look at what people eat for breakfast and then multiply it by the amount of porn they watch and find their earning potential," Kazuya commented.

Lee snickered.

"Awfully critical talk coming from the business major."

"That's the business master to you, bitch," Kazuya teased.

"So, what do you want me to tell her, O' Mighty Master of Business?" Lee asked sarcastically, picking Kazuya's discarded shirt from off the floor and putting it into the plastic laundry bag hanging off of one of the hangers in the closet.

"The Master says fine… but I want to meet the new guy. I suspect you haven't done nearly enough to break him in properly. Knowing you, you've probably actually been nice to him," Kazuya teased.

"I have… but he's- I don't know how to explain it. He's really serious… like about everything. I don't know how she stands it unless he's different when it's just the two of them. I suppose that's possible," Lee commented.

"Yeah. My father is really serious all the time," Kazuya responded.

Lee raised his eyebrows at Kazuya's statement.

"No?"

"No. He can actually be really funny," Lee replied.

"As funny as I am?" Kazuya asked.

"No… no one is that funny," Lee replied, picking up the phone to call Nina.

Kazuya listened to Lee on the phone with Nina, as he put his leather jacket on and looked at himself in the mirror. He thought he looked pretty good.

"Alright, it's all arranged. We're meeting at the restaurant and then we're going to go dancing with them, but they're leaving before we go to the karaoke bar."

"Maybe the serious guy wants to sing karaoke," Kazuya cracked.

"If I don't even want to sing karaoke, I very much doubt that Aiden would want to. When you meet him, you'll understand. He makes Nina seem like the chipper one."

"Yikes."

"Uh-huh. So how are things with Anna?"

"I don't know. About a month ago she started freezing me out. I don't know what I did, but it must have been pretty bad if she won't even talk to me about it," Kazuya explained with a frown. He had truly wracked his brain over this and he could not figure out why she would be upset with him.

"She's not talking to you period or just not about whatever it is you did?" Lee asked.

"About what I did. She'll talk to me and we've been out a few times, but she's been acting kind of weird and we haven't had sex for-like- five weeks. That's the longest I've ever not had sex since I started having sex. Do you know how long that is in Kazuya sex years?" Kazuya asked. He was unhappy about the situation with Anna, but he was also becoming increasingly frustrated. He found it was getting more difficult to be patient and sympathetic. More and more, he found himself wanting to call her up and tell her to either get over whatever it was or just put him out of his misery.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to hear it," Lee replied pointedly.

"You probably had sex more recently than I have and it's different. If it were just a matter of going out and finding sex, I can do that. What's hard is being in a monogamous relationship, having your girlfriend get really mad at you for no apparent reason and then being cut off with the expectation that you won't cheat on her even if you're not sure whether or not the relationship is still going on."

"As a matter of fact, I haven't had sex more recently than you have, but whatever. I'm sorry about how things are going with you two. You know, Nina kind of indicated to me that Anna expected things to be moving in a certain direction by this point. Perhaps that's the problem."

"Well, maybe, but I initially was thinking while I was here I would maybe kill two birds with one stone and go to Tiffany's, you know, ring shopping- but I don't even know what the fuck is going on now," Kazuya commented bitterly.

Lee looked surprised, but didn't say anything.

"Yeah… I was thinking about it. I don't know what I'm thinking now, but it's your birthday and I don't want to bring you down… or me for that matter. I want to get fucked up and have an amazing time, okay?" Kazuya asked, gesturing toward the door.

"Okay," Lee replied, walking out of the door in front of Kazuya.

Kazuya shut the door behind himself.

"Have you talked to her about your intentions?" Lee asked quietly. He looked uncomfortable asking the question.

"No, but I feel like people should give me a little credit. You of all people should know I'm not a complete asshole and that I wasn't going to just string her along forever. You know, I know her argument was always that I was at the right age to be doing these things, which may be true enough. But in my opinion, the one I developed before she wore me down and made me question my better judgment, _she's_ too young and this tantrum or whatever it is just proves it," Kazuya stated unequivocally.

"Well, if you thought she was worth it a few months ago, you should probably talk to her. If you don't, you might end up-"

Kazuya grabbed Lee's right shoulder hard. They stopped walking and Kazuya moved to face Lee.

"Let's not do this, okay? Don't make me sorry I told you this and don't tell Nina," Kazuya instructed, questioning the wisdom in his decision to tell Lee about what his intentions towards Anna were. There was always the chance that he would tell Nina and that she in turn would tell Anna because he knew they really didn't hate each other as much as they let on and then it would come back on him. No matter the reason she had decided to ignore him for the past month, his decision not to buy the engagement ring when he had originally planned to would suddenly be about him being an asshole instead of whatever her problem was and he had no interest in letting that happen.

"Fine," Lee replied, pouting.

"Don't let this ruin our night," Kazuya told him pointedly.

"It won't."

"Are you going to stop pouting now or do you need a visit from the Tickle Monster?" Kazuya asked, with a charming and mischievous smile.

"If you start tickling me, I will dislocate all of your fingers this time," Lee replied.

"I can't believe you dislocated my thumb! That was ridiculous. I bet if we checked standard tickle fight regulations that would be against the rules," Kazuya said. They began walking down the hall again.

"Yeah, but that wasn't a tickle fight. That was an ambush from the Tickle Monster in my lab."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure the Lunch Order Accord of 1983 justifies tickle attacks when a member of the party receives another member of the party's lunch and proceeds to eat it without saying anything."

"Maybe, but I'm sure there's a clause in there stating that you can dislocate the thumb of the attacking party when they didn't tell you what they were ordering you for lunch so you have no way of knowing whether or not it's your lunch."

"Touché. So we're good?"

"Yeah. Just as long as you don't grab my shoulder like that again. That fucking hurt."

"Sorry," Kazuya replied, pressing the button to summon the elevator.

"It's okay," Lee said, as they stepped into the elevator.

"It's so good to see you," Kazuya reiterated as they stood together in elevator.

Lee just smiled.

"This is going to be epic," Kazuya stated, raising his eyebrows.

"I know. You've prepared me," Lee replied, as they stepped out of the elevator.

"You still look a little scared," Kazuya teased.

"There's a reason for that," Lee teased back.

"Come on… my karaoke skills are off the hook."

"The off part is right, anyway," Lee cracked.

"Aw, shove it, Chaolan, I'm a great singer. If I wasn't a high-powered business master, I'd be a pop sensation by now… like the Japanese Michael Jackson."

"Uh-huh. You keep dreaming," Lee responded, winking as he intentionally quoted the Thriller album.

"What? You want to do a duet of "The Girl is Mine?" Awesome! Dibs on Paul!"

"I'll think about it," Lee replied

"What's there to think about?" Kazuya asked as he opened the door and held it for Lee.

"Well, it is_ my _birthday and _I_ don't want to do that," Lee pointed out.

"And _I _came all the way from Japan, so_ I_ win," Kazuya stated as Lee began to attempt to hail a cab.

"I'll think about it," Lee reiterated, as a cab pulled up.

"There's nothing to think about. It'll be awesome," Kazuya stated, getting into the cab after Lee.

"Maybe," Lee replied.

"Definitely," Kazuya affirmed, smiling at Lee.

Dinner at La Cantina Viejo had been good, but the service was a bit slow and by the end of the meal it was evident that Kazuya and Aiden clearly didn't like each other. Lee was actually a little sorry he had already invited them dancing afterwards. From the moment Kazuya had entered the foyer of the restaurant and rushed over to Nina, Lee could tell that Aiden was annoyed. At least he thought he was. Sometimes it was hard to tell. Aiden always looked somewhat annoyed and it was kind of a shame. If not for his constant sour expression, he could have been relatively handsome. He had a decent build, short brown hair, what could've been a nice face, and hazel eyes.

"Hey, Pretty Girl," Kazuya said, embracing Nina.

"Hi, Kazuya. How are you?"

"Good. You?"

"Good. Is Anna with you?" Nina asked, looking around the foyer before absently hugging Lee. Lee hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek.

"No, she didn't end up making the trip this time," Kazuya replied, electing not to tell Nina the ins and outs of the situation.

"Oh… I thought she'd be here. She hasn't danced with the birthday boy in ages," Nina said. She was clearly disappointed, but attempting to hide it.

Aiden cleared his throat as if to remind everyone that he was still there.

"Oh… yeah… and I would've liked to introduce her to Aiden. Kazuya, Aiden, Aiden, Kazuya," Nina stated, making the introduction. Kazuya took Aiden by surprise by extending his hand. Lee watched with a smirk as Kazuya's incredibly firm handshake took Aiden by further surprise.

"So you're Nina's new boyfriend?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah," Aiden replied.

"If you don't take good care of her, this guy and I will fucking kill you," Kazuya stated, taking a step closer to Aiden as he motioned towards Lee.

"I'll take fine care of her, not that it's any of your concern," Aiden replied taking a step back, attempting to put some distance between himself and Kazuya.

"Excuse me? I've known this girl since she was four. She's like a sister to me. She moved to New York City with my brother, who is her best friend. We both love the hell out of her. I'm pretty sure that I have the right to be concerned," Kazuya said, taking the step back towards Aiden.

Lee continued to watch with a smirk until Nina tapped the small of his back. He looked over at her. She was mouthing the words 'Reign him in.' Lee sighed and stepped forward.

"Kazuya, Aiden and I have already had this type of chat," Lee said, putting his hand on Kazuya's shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Aye… I've already gotten the riot act from this one," Aiden replied, nodding towards Lee.

"Yeah, well, don't fucking forget it," Kazuya said, backing off and allowing Aiden to return to Nina's side.

As the hostess was walking them to their table, Kazuya raised his eyebrows at Lee, nodded his head to towards Aiden in front of them, and then rolled his eyes in disapproval.

Lee leaned towards Kazuya.

"I know. I warned you. Just deal with it, okay."

"No, you said he was serious. You didn't say a serious douche."

"Well… 'serious' people typically are," Lee opined, before taking his seat.

It was Lee's hope that once the booze started flowing that things would loosen up a bit, but as they all sat awkwardly sipping their drinks, that seemed to be a less and less likely possibility.

Sensing the tension, Kazuya offered to buy a bottle of top shelf tequila so that they could do some shots. Lee glanced at Nina, who shrugged, apparently game until Aiden leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Then she shook her head no instead.

"What's the secret?" Kazuya asked Aiden.

"There's no secret," Nina replied with a smile, and then continued, "Aiden just doesn't like tequila… he was just saying he's gotten really sick on it before."

"Who hasn't?" Lee stated, thinking about the night after Disneyland.

"Yeah… come to think of it, Anna was doing tequila shots that time she had to get her stomach pumped," Nina replied.

"Okay… so fine if it's a no, but for the record, the whispering thing is obnoxious and juvenile. If you've got something to say, you gotta share it with the class," Kazuya told Aiden.

Aiden responded with a look of pained annoyance.

During the meal, Kazuya mostly chatted with Nina about her job, how she liked the city, and what she thought about Lee training with Bucket Head.

"You know, when I saw him, he had his hair back in a ponytail. It wasn't all buckety like usual. Like you should talk, though. How much product do you use every day to get that hairstyle?" Nina teased, taking a bite of her chimichanga.

"It's not about the product, which the answer is a lot, it's about the end result. I mean, my hair looks amazing, but his looks like a bucket. Lee failed to mention the ponytail, though," Kazuya said, reaching over and flicking Lee's arm.

"Sorry… it didn't seem important."

"It didn't seem important? It's downright schema-altering. I pictured him working out with the bucket hair. I pictured him sleeping with the bucket hair. I pictured him in the grocery store with the bucket hair. Now I'm not sure what to picture," Kazuya joked.

"Picture yourself not putting so much thought into Bucket Head," Nina teased.

"Or not Bucket Head… who knows now?" Kazuya joked back.

"Jeez… he asked me out. Maybe I should have accepted just to see how he came to the door, told him to go away, and then reported back to you," Nina said, giggling.

"You should've- no offense, Aiden. It would've been for purely scientific purposes," Kazuya told him.

Lee giggled, too, though Aiden was clearly annoyed. However, he was on his third margarita and he was finding Aiden's bad attitude increasingly comical and less disconcerting.

When the bill arrived and Kazuya grabbed it up without any hesitation, Aiden looked annoyed again.

"I can pay mine and Nina's share," Aiden stated.

"I'm sure you can, but I figured I would, you know… being friendly," Kazuya replied, slapping Lee's hand as he attempted to steal his margarita. "If you want another one, go to the bar and order one. Don't steal mine… or better yet, order one at the club."

"Fine, but you looked like you were done with it," Lee replied, defending himself.

"Oh, fine. I guess I was, but you can ask instead of just stealing," Kazuya said, pushing the half finished drink over to Lee.

"Gracias," Lee replied.

"De nada."

"Seriously. Let me-"

"Aiden, honey, let Kazuya pay for dinner, okay? He's really, really rich," Nina stated, also clearly feeling the effects of the three margaritas she had drank.

"Fine," Aiden relented, and then turned to Kazuya, "Thank you for dinner."

"De nada," Kazuya reiterated. He had only had a drink and a half and was definitely not feeling any effect. Lee could tell. Lee smirked again, drinking the rest of Kazuya's margarita. He wondered what would have happened if Aiden had drank about six Coronas instead of the one he had nursed throughout the dinner. Maybe he would've become fun… or more of a douche. You could never tell with those types.

Lee began attempting to hail a cab to the club, all the while secretly wishing Aiden would bail on the dancing. Once Lee had succeeded, Kazuya manage to annoy Aiden further.

"New guy sits up front- what?" Kazuya said quickly, sliding into the backseat. Nina got in next, and Lee got in after her. Part of him wanted to offer his seat to Aiden, but a much larger part of him wanted to go along with Kazuya as he put Nina's snarky little boyfriend in his place. Aiden got into the front of the cab, clearly annoyed that Nina had voluntarily decided to be part of what Kazuya was now calling a "Nina sandwich." Kazuya put his arm around her shoulders unthinkingly as Aiden glared at him in the rearview mirror. Lee shot Kazuya a look telling him to stop, but Kazuya either didn't understand or care and merely patted Lee on the shoulder. Lee just sat back and smiled. Kazuya didn't mean anything by it and if Aiden was going to have a problem with it that was his stupidity.

When they arrived at the club, it was no problem getting in. The bouncer immediately recognized Lee and Nina and waved them through, casting a sideways glance at Aiden without saying anything since he was evidently with them. In contrast, he apparently had no difficulty believing Kazuya was with them.

Once inside, Lee headed straight for the bar and ordered himself and Nina another round of margaritas. Both Kazuya and Aiden turned down the offer of another drink.

"You don't have to babysit, you know? You're not going to have to drive," Lee told Kazuya.

"Yeah… I'm pacing myself. It's still early," Kazuya told Lee with a smile. Lee recognized it for the lie it was, but he didn't attempt to dissuade him from his decision.

"You're sure, Aiden?" Lee asked, turning to check with him.

"Well, maybe just one more. I've got to study for finals tomorrow, though, so that'll be my limit."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that it was about that time. Are you sure you have time for this? It's alright if you want to head out. I can see Nina home."

"No, I'm fine for tonight, but I appreciate it," Aiden replied. It was clear he wasn't interested in leaving Nina alone with Kazuya. Lee knew that Aiden didn't have a problem with him because Lee had let Nina tell him that he was gay from the start. They had both agreed it would probably be easier that way. She had also explained their prior relationship as a brief experiment never to be revisited and Aiden seemed satisfied with that.

"Alright… it's Guinness, right?" Lee asked, regarding Aiden's beer of choice.

Aiden nodded and thanked Lee when he presented him with the beer.

"You're welcome," Lee replied, claiming the only high top table available in the bar area. He frowned upon noticing a mystery puddle in the center of the table.

"Oh, boy," Kazuya commented, smirking at the look of horror on Lee's face and then returned to the bar and asked the bartender for a cloth to wipe down the table with. The bartender offered to come out and do it himself, but Kazuya told him not to worry about it and proceeded to wash and dry the table. After returning the cloths to the bartender Kazuya sat down next to Lee.

"Happy?" Kazuya teased, punching Lee lightly in the bicep.

"It would've been fine… you make it seem like I'm so fussy."

"If you had seen your face, you'd know you're that fussy. You looked like you'd found a puddle of blood on the table," Nina chimed in, sipping her margarita and already dancing a little bit in her chair.

"Fine. Thank you. Yes, it would have bothered me. Satisfied?" Lee asked.

"Yup," Kazuya replied, taking a big sip of Lee's margarita.

"Kazuya!"

"Seriously? You drank half of mine at the restaurant. I don't want to hear it," Kazuya replied.

"Oh, fine."

"Can we start dancing soon?" Nina asked. She had already finished her drink and seemed quite impatient.

"Holy moly. That depends. Can you stand and walk successfully at this point? You should really take it slower- you're not a very big gal," Kazuya replied, casting a critical eye on Aiden who had barely sipped his beer. Aiden glared back.

"I may not be big, but I'm Irish," Nina giggled.

Kazuya laughed and took another small sip of Lee's drink.

"I want to dance now," Nina declared, turning to Aiden.

"Yeah, uh-"

"I'll watch your beer," Kazuya offered.

"Thanks," Aiden replied, helping Nina down from the high chair. Between the four margaritas and her high heels she was having some difficulty.

"Yeah… you can finish the margarita while I go have a cigarette and then it'll be time to dance," Lee told Kazuya, getting up from the table. Unlike Nina, he didn't have any issue getting down from the tall chair. When he returned to the table, he found Kazuya with a glass in his hand sitting across from Aiden's Guinness. The other glasses were gone.

"What do you have now?" Lee asked, sitting back down next to Kazuya.

"Coke."

"Rum and coke?"

"No, just coke. I'm not attempting to babysit you. I'm babysitting her a little bit. I don't like him. I know there's nothing I can do about it and I also know I'd be more inclined to try to do something about it if I had a few drinks. Good thing that the margaritas at the restaurant weren't that strong. If they were all like the ones here, she would be smashed," Kazuya stated.

"Yeah… I should probably slow it down. She always does this- attempts to keep up with me and I think you and I both know that that's probably not such a good idea," Lee replied.

"For somebody with her size and tolerance level, nah. We'll throw a few back at karaoke. Aiden not as bad of a dancer as I thought he'd be, but that being said, he's still pretty bad," Kazuya explained.

Lee nodded in agreement as he watched the two of them dance.

"Anna misses you as her dance partner, by the way. She says I'm nowhere near as good," Kazuya told him, looking a little glum as he thought about his absent and inexplicably remote girlfriend.

"You're a good dancer. I just happen to be a great dancer," Lee teased.

"No, you really are. I've always been a little jealous, but you've definitely got something that can't be learned," Kazuya said.

"Well, there's no reason to be jealous for the good it's done me," Lee pointed out.

"Well, you were dancing in the wrong clubs. Have you ever thought about-"

"Yeah. I don't think I'm ready yet. I know that probably sounds silly, but I can't help it," Lee explained, heart pounding. The thought of picking up a stranger, like he had done when he was a hungry and desperate boy, rattled him to his core. And of course, there were his feelings for Kazuya.

"It doesn't sound silly… you were with him a long time. It takes time to get over things like that even if you were the one who ended it," Kazuya replied, trying to be understanding.

"It's not just him. It's a lot of things. It's just me, for now," Lee replied, wishing he had another drink.

"Fair enough," Kazuya said, as Aiden and Nina approached the table.

"Lee… dance with me!" Nina demanded as Aiden thanked Kazuya for watching his beer and sat down to drink it.

"Alright. Come on," Lee said to Kazuya.

Initially the three of them had danced together, but soon after they had stepped out onto the floor, a tall gorgeous African American girl had begun chatting Kazuya up as they danced and they had ended up breaking away from Lee and Nina.

"He and my sister are still together, right?" Nina asked, looking a little panicked as she tried to look through the sea of people for Kazuya and his lovely dance partner.

"Yeah. He's just dancing with this girl. Don't worry about it," Lee replied for his own benefit as much as hers as jealousy reared its ugly head.

"Okay. Are you having a good time?" Nina asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah…it's nice to see Kazuya."

"Yeah… so you'll have the place to yourself tonight- I'm crashing at the hotel," Lee told her.

Nina just stared back blankly.

"If you're going to use the bed, just change the sheets in the morning, okay?"

Nina continued to stare.

"What?"

"D'you think he's expecting me to?" Nina asked. She looked petrified.

"I don't know, Sweetie, but if you're not ready yet, then he'll have to wait," Lee replied, pulling her close for a moment and kissing her sweaty cheek.

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't even think of it."

"If you're worried about it, we can take you home before we go to karaoke or you can come with us. Please don't do anything you feel uncomfortable doing," Lee told her. He didn't think Aiden was the type to try anything, but if Nina felt uncomfortable or had any doubts that would be a good enough reason for him to act.

"No… he wouldn't hurt me. Let's face it- he probably couldn't hurt me. I'm just worried about disappointing him, but… I had feelings for you for so long before we actually- I knew you really well. I've known him for just a little more than a month. I know some people would and they wouldn't think twice about it, but I need to know him better than that. I want to be sure," Nina explained.

"And that's fine and if he's not okay with waiting, then he's not the type of boyfriend that you need," Lee told her.

"Lee… can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend before- I mean, are you gay in practice or theory?" Nina asked.

"Both," Lee replied, heart pounding in his ears, hoping that she'd simply accept his flip answer in her intoxicated state.

"Have you had lots of boyfriends?"

"No," Lee replied, shaking his head.

"Any girlfriends?"

"You're the one and only. I mean, I've gone on dates and made out with girls, but before you, I'd only ever been to second base with a girl."

"Really?"

"Yeah… I just knew I didn't want to go any further. And no offense, I love you and you're beautiful, but I really didn't."

"How did you know?"

"The same way you know that you wouldn't want to do that with a girl."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh."

"Well, sorry."

"Not your fault. I just wanted to be fair with you. If it was going to be a woman, it was going to be you."

"And your boyfriend… did you love him?"

"Yes. A lot," Lee replied, heart pounding in his ears again as he felt a knot developing in his stomach.

"Why didn't you stay together? Did he break up with you?" Nina asked.

"No. I left him because I needed space. I loved him, but he was in love with me. And after a long time of not realizing it and downplaying it, I finally figured out that what I was doing wasn't fair," Lee replied.

"Can we get some air?" Nina asked suddenly.

"Yeah, of course," Lee replied, walking her to the door. Once outside, she took a deep breath.

"Lee… this boyfriend," Nina began, her voice shaking.

"I think he'd object to being called my boyfriend," Lee replied, unable to meet her eyes.

"You and Heihachi, then?" Nina asked.

"Yeah," Lee confirmed, running his left hand through his hair and then grabbing his cigarettes from his pocket.

"For how long?"

"Almost nine years. I loved him and I wanted him, but I wasn't in love with him," Lee replied, lighting his cigarette. He remembered the night last July when he finally figured it out without a question. It had been after a party that gone into the wee hours of the morning. Once Kazuya had sobered enough to drive himself home, Lee had crawled into bed as quietly as possible. He thought Heihachi would've been asleep by then.

"Hi."

"Oh, hi" Lee replied, moving over to Heihachi's side of the bed and laying his head on Heihachi chest. He felt his warm, strong arms enfold him and his musky cologne smelled nice. Lee closed his eyes.

"Listen… there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Hmm?"

"For awhile now, I've had some concerns about your drinking. I think you're drinking too much and should make an effort to cut back." Heihachi stated.

"Is that all? The way you started, I thought it was going to be something serious. It's not a problem; the next time we're training for a tournament, I'll stop like I always do," Lee replied with a yawn.

"I've always been very lenient with you about drinking and you've never worried me like your brother did with the pot, the pills, or the model airplane glue. But tonight as I watched you consume twice as many drinks as your brother did and with a much lesser effect, it became apparent to me that I needed to finally talk to you about this. I've been putting it off for a while. I wondered if I was overreacting. But after tonight, I think it's clear that you should get a handle on this before it becomes a serious problem."

"Did I embarrass you in some way tonight?" Lee asked, marveling at Heihachi's knowledge of Kazuya's previous substance abuse habits. How did he always seem to know everything?

"On the contrary; you were wonderful. Those Danes want to poach you; their tech guru thinks you're brilliant."

"Well, then what's the problem?"

"This isn't about your behavior at parties. This is about you falling into horrible habits that will ultimately shorten your life."

"Like smoking."

"Yes, but I hate the smoking with a passion. I don't hate alcohol. I'm fond of various alcoholic beverages in moderation. Frequently I find that you're quite lusty after you've had a couple of drinks and I can't help but enjoy that, but even that's not worth the effects that your current level of alcohol consumption may have on you over time."

"Romantic… do you have a graph to show me or something, Stud?" Lee teased.

"I'll attempt to put this more plainly. If something were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do. I love you; take care of yourself," Heihachi stated, giving Lee a gentle squeeze and kissing the top of his head.

And that was when it had finally clicked. He could no longer tell himself that Heihachi wasn't in love with him. And what's more, he wasn't in love with Heihachi. Though he loved Heihachi, he was in love with Kazuya. He had been since he was fifteen.

Initially, Lee tried to ignore his discovery and pretend like nothing new had had been said, but by the end of July his attempt had proven futile. In order to be fair to Heihachi, Kazuya, and himself it became increasingly clear that he needed some space in order to think about what he should do. At the beginning of August, he had decided to ask Nina to accompany him to New York. In mid-August, Lee had put in his two week notice at the Zaibatsu and told Heihachi he was leaving. Stunned and distraught, Heihachi told Lee to be gone by the time he got home that night. Lee had left the Zaibatsu, returned to the house, packed a couple more suitcases of clothes, loaded his suitcases into his car and drove to Kazuya's penthouse. He waited outside in his Corvette until Kazuya parked next to him in his Ferrari.

"What's up? Are you sick or something? Why did you leave work early?" Kazuya asked, rushing over to Lee as he got out of his car.

"No, I'm fine. I just- can I stay here tonight? I just have to make a few arrangements and I think I can be out of here tomorrow," Lee stated.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm leaving town. At least for awhile. I need some space. Your father isn't happy. That's why I need to stay here."

"Sure, but do you really have to go to- where are you going?'

"I'd rather not say for now," Lee replied.

"Do you really have to do this? 'Cause I don't want you to."

Lee's eyes filled with tears. He thought about Kazuya's previous offer. He sighed, knowing that as much as he wanted to, he couldn't take Kazuya up on his offer that he could live there with him. It would just be too painful and Heihachi would be so angry.

"I have to do this, Kazuya. I'm sorry," Lee said softly.

"Okay," Kazuya replied, hugging Lee hard. For the rest of the night, he didn't once try to dissuade Lee from his decision and Lee loved him even more for it.

Good on his word, Lee was gone before Kazuya had returned home from work the following day. He had left the keys to the Corvette on the counter and took a taxi to the airport. Nina had been so excited to see him when she arrived that she threw herself into his arms; he continued to wonder just what he had been getting into with her.

"So, you're upset with me?" Lee asked, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"No… I just wish you had told me, is all. I still would've come here with you even if I'd known and if you changed your mind tomorrow about everything and asked me to marry you, I'd still say yes. Maybe I won't always feel that way, but for now, I can't imagine feeling any differently," Nina replied.

"I hope you don't always feel this way. I want you to be happy and I can't make you happy," Lee told her.

"I know. I still love you."

"I love you, too. Are you ready to go back in?" Lee asked, finishing his cigarette.

"Yeah. I'm starting to feel tired, though. We probably won't stay for that much longer," Nina said as they reentered the club.

After another hour of dancing, Nina and Aiden said goodbye to Lee, leaving him to find Kazuya on his own. After searching the entire club twice, Lee was about to go back out for another cigarette when Kazuya tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm ready to go. Where have you been? I've been looking for you for the past half an hour," Kazuya declared.

"Looking for you, Jackass," Lee replied.

"Karaoke time," Kazuya said, raising his eyebrows at Lee.

Lee hailed a cab and they proceeded to the karaoke bar.

After doing a couple of shots of tequila each, Kazuya had proclaimed them ready.

Lee wasn't sure anything could have really gotten a person ready for karaoke with Kazuya, but a couple of shots of tequila was just as good of a preparation tool for the event as anything he could imagine.

The place was pretty busy, so a lot of the time, they were waiting around watching other people. A couple of them could really sing, but most of them were quite terrible. Lee didn't understand what made a person want to do karaoke, but he was pretty sure it had something to do with faulty hardwiring in the mainframe. That didn't exclude Kazuya.

Kazuya's first pick was "Solitary Man," which wasn't too bad. When Kazuya brought him a giant drink the color of Windex with a little green plastic sword with pineapples and cherries on it, he knew it was a bad sign.

"You didn't do what I think you did, did you?" Lee asked.

"I did, actually. And it's going to be fun," Kazuya replied.

After about twenty minutes, they were called to the stage to suffer through "The Girl is Mine." Kazuya was clearly having a great time, so Lee tried to enjoy himself, but it was impossible. Karaoke wasn't fun. He wasn't good at it. And Kazuya nearly pushed him over during the dialogue at the end of the song.

"Sorry, I got a little overzealous, there," Kazuya told Lee.

"Yeah… I'll say. And FYI, whoever she is, you can have her. I'm not interested. She's probably moist, too," Lee cracked.

Kazuya erupted in laughter, punching Lee in the bicep.

Lee snickered and rubbed his arm. Apparently his former tolerance level for Kazuya's frequent arm punches had declined during their months apart.

After another twenty minutes, Kazuya sang "Suspicious Minds," claiming that he had to, as he couldn't deprive the people of New York of such a thrill. For his grand finale, Kazuya chose "Copacabana," arguably forgetting about the rather long musical interlude in the middle of the song, which turned into a dance solo.

"That was ridiculous," Lee told Kazuya, as they left the karaoke bar.

"Ridiculously awesome," Kazuya replied, but then added, "In my defense, I've been to karaoke bars where they have a shortened version of the song without all of the music in the middle, but I made it work."

"You tell yourself that," Lee teased.

"I will, 'cause I did," Kazuya replied, clapping an arm around Lee's shoulder hard as they walked down the street.

"Why can't you ever touch me without trying to critically injure me?" Lee teased, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes.

"Come now. You seem pretty structurally sound-"

"FAGS!"

Kazuya and Lee both turned to look. Five young men were walking towards them. Kazuya sized them up, dropped his hand to Lee's right buttock, squeezed, and then smirked at Lee. Lee was too stunned to say or do anything.

"It's on," Kazuya whispered in his ear and then kissed him violently on the lips. He felt the blood surge through his body as Kazuya's tongue brushed his own. Kazuya pulled himself away abruptly as the thugs closed proximity and then turned so he was standing back to back with Lee.

"Let's fuck these guys up," Kazuya told Lee, as the would-be fag bashers continued to approach.

"Fuckin' queers," the ring leader of the group spat.

Lee heard Kazuya laugh as the fight commenced. The fight itself was a blur. He had been blissfully buzzed before the fight began. Now he felt sober, but like time had slowed down. As he delivered a scissor-kick to the chin of one of their would-be assailants, Lee pondered whether or not the group was armed. If not, they were fine; if so, they could be fucked. As he kicked a different guy in the ribs, he wondered if they were going to get arrested. He could just imagine what Heihachi would say about that. While delivering several swift kicks to another guy's midsection and then to his face, Lee wondered what Kazuya meant kissing him like that. Was it all a show for these guys? But why? He was pretty sure they were looking for a fight when he first saw Kazuya's arm around his shoulders. Kazuya didn't need to up the ante, Lee thought, dodging a clumsily thrown punch and delivering an elbow strike to the back of the leader's head. Well, he's Kazuya and that's what he does, Lee reasoned, wrapping his leg around his final opponent's upper body and slamming him to the ground as Kazuya took down his final opponent with his triple spin kick.

"Nothing like finishing at the same time," Kazuya stated loudly with a smirk, looking at the crumpled bodies around them. One of the boys was definitely unconscious. The others were moaning and only the leader was attempting to get up. Kazuya grabbed Lee by the elbow and began urging him forward. When the leader attempted to grab Lee's ankle as they walked by, Kazuya stomped hard on his arm. There was a sickening crunch and blood curdling scream. Lee wanted to run. Everything felt so surreal. He began to wonder if he was dreaming.

"Come on," Kazuya said gruffly, "I'm famished. Time for food. In a couple of blocks, hail us a cab and then get us to a diner near the hotel."

Lee nodded, but didn't say anything. He had never seen Kazuya like this before and it frightened him.

At the diner, Lee drank coffee as Kazuya inhaled a Western Omelet, a mountain of home fries, and toast.

"Are you alright? You've been quiet," Kazuya said.

"Yeah… I'm fine," Lee replied, taking a sip of his coffee. He honestly didn't know how to feel. A dream come true had quickly morphed into a nightmare. He put down his coffee cup with shaking hands as he watched Kazuya calmly put strawberry jam on his toast.

"You know, they would've done the same to us if they could've. Don't feel bad about it," Kazuya told him, taking a bite of his toast.

"I don't exactly… I'm just confused."

"About?" Kazuya asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Everything that just happened," Lee replied.

"Like I said… it's nothing that they wouldn't have done to you. They just happened to mess with the wrong guys tonight- after how many nights of beating up actual gay guys for no apparent reason? Don't feel bad."

"But at the end when you-"

"He tried to grab your ankle," Kazuya stated with a shrug, sipping his orange juice.

"I saw. I was going to take care of it," Lee replied.

"Well, sorry. I didn't realize. I just wanted to protect you."

"How did you know they weren't armed?" Lee asked.

"I don't know. I was pretty confident they weren't and I was right."

"And if you hadn't been?"

"I guess we would've been fucked. Is that what you want me to say?" Kazuya demanded.

"I don't know," Lee replied, looking down at his coffee. He felt indescribably sad.

"Hey," Kazuya said after a few minutes. "I'm really sorry. You're right- it was stupid, but I can't stand people like that. I think of you out here, without me, and it worries me."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, nobody's ever called me a fag before tonight. I don't typically advertise it," Lee replied.

"Well, sorry. I guess it looks different when I manhandle you while the girls are with us."

"Yeah, I guess," Lee agreed.

"You set?" Kazuya asked, picking up the check.

"Yeah," Lee replied, sliding out of the booth.

After paying the check, they walked out into the cool night air. Wordlessly, Lee threaded his arm through Kazuya's as they crossed the street back to Kazuya's hotel. Kazuya didn't object and Lee's heart pounded.

When Lee awoke the next morning, he found he had a bitch of a hangover. His head was pounding, his teeth were throbbing, and his stomach was all acid. He looked over at Kazuya. Still asleep. He smiled slightly watching him sleep and hoped he didn't wake up as hungover as he had. Lee lay back on the pillow thinking about the previous night. It had been a booze-fueled whirlwind from beginning to end. Flashes of dinner, dancing, karaoke, the fight, the diner, and the hotel were all jumbled in Lee's head. He hadn't forgotten anything. He wasn't a blackout drunk. He almost wished he could've forgotten some of it, but he was incapable of it.

Last night, when they had gotten back up to Kazuya's hotel suite, Lee had sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs. He smiled.

"What?"

"You're a really good kisser," Lee replied, still smiling.

"That's what they tell me," Kazuya said.

"What possessed you to kiss me like that?" Lee asked.

"That guy called us fags… I was just playing it up," Kazuya replied simply.

"Fair enough."

"For the record, you are also a good kisser."

"I wasn't even trying. You caught me by surprise."

"Well, next time I'll submit the paperwork to the proper channels, in triplicate, and set up an appointment at least a week in advance," Kazuya teased, sitting down next to Lee on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not saying that… I'm saying I want a do over."

"A do over? This isn't Monopoly."

"I know." Lee replied, smiling flirtatiously.

"How drunk are you?"

"Somewhat," Lee replied, taking a moment to gauge it.

"I'm actually entertaining the thought of letting you do this; how drunk am I?" Kazuya asked.

"Maybe a little, but you did just eat that huge breakfast," Lee pointed out.

"Yeah. You know in my experience, kisses go better when they happen spontaneously. Not when you sit there and discuss it."

"Listen, if you don't want to indulge me that's-"

Kazuya leaned forward and kissed him, wrapping his arms around him. Lee kissed back, closing his eyes, his hands rubbing Kazuya's muscular back. After several minutes, Kazuya stopped kissing him.

"What?" Lee asked.

"That's quite the do over," Kazuya replied.

"Yeah. You know," Lee began, locking eyes with Kazuya, "your dry spell doesn't have to continue."

"Lee, you know I can't take you up on that," Kazuya replied.

"Why not?" Lee demanded, embarrassed and taken aback.

"For a lot of reasons. Things are still up in the air with Anna… and I used to think of you as my brother, but that started to become more of a gray area when I caught you fooling around with my father… which presents a whole other reason in and of itself. Not to mention what he'd do to us if he ever found out. Trust me. I want to fuck your brains out right now. I just think it would be a huge mistake and we'd both regret it."

"I don't think so," Lee replied quietly, looking down.

"I do," Kazuya replied firmly, kicking off his shoes and lying down on the bed facing the ceiling.

"Do you want me to leave?" Lee asked quietly, still sitting on the edge of the bed.

"No. Take off your boots. Come here," Kazuya said, opening his arms. Lee did as he was told, putting his head on Kazuya's shoulder.

"Did you have a good birthday?"

"Do _you_ think I had a good birthday?" Lee retorted, thinking about his conversation with Nina, being made to sing Michael Jackson, the fight, and the sexual frustration.

"Yeah. Since I came all the way from Japan to be with you, yeah I do," Kazuya replied, wrapping his arm around Lee. Lee closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm glad you did, but I just wish you hadn't kissed me. You don't understand what you did to me," Lee said.

"What I did to you? Before tonight, I never even thought about kissing a guy, but after your 'do over,' I seriously found myself wanting to fuck you. I'm okay now, you know, aside from the blue balls, but it's something to think about," Kazuya stated, gently caressing Lee's arm.

"Hmm?"

"How fast stuff can change. I mean, till tonight we never thought about this. All these years... I don't know."

"_You_ never thought of it. I thought about it all the time," Lee replied, his heart racing and his throat tight.

"Fuck, Lee… is there anything else you want to tell me?" Kazuya asked.

"No," Lee replied, holding tight to his final secret. Kazuya didn't need to know that he'd been in love with him since he was fifteen. It was bad enough that he had admitted that he had been lusting after him for an indeterminate amount of time.

"Fuck, Lee. My Dad would kill us right now."

"We didn't do anything," Lee murmured with a yawn.

"Yeah. You're falling asleep. You should take off your jeans."

"Does that line usually work?" Lee teased, as he removed his pants and tossed them on the chair across from the bed. He did the same with his violet colored dress shirt.

"You'd be surprised," Kazuya replied, stripping down to his boxers and getting under the covers. Lee also got under the covers and put his head back on Kazuya's shoulder. Kazuya kissed him softly on the forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Lee replied.

"If my father finds out, we are beyond fucked."

"Finds out what? That nothing happened? Nothing happened, Kazuya," Lee reiterated.

"Okay."

"Seriously don't worry about it. It was like you said earlier. He's not going to find out anything useful. I was only worried about it earlier because I know it bothers you. Typically, I don't even think about it. He just misses me. He sent me fucking flowers today."

"Flowers?"

"Yeah… white roses."

"I can't imagine."

"I know you can't."

"You guys hid it really well- other than the time I caught you."

"Yeah… he didn't want to be out or anything, but when we were alone together he was really affectionate and attentive."

"I still can't picture it."

"I know."

"Goodnight," Kazuya said, hugging Lee.

"Goodnight," Lee replied, placing his arm over Kazuya's body as he fell asleep.

This morning, awakening in a bed with Kazuya even though he had a horrible hangover and almost nothing had happened, Lee couldn't help but smile. Kazuya had wanted him. Even if he felt like he couldn't act on it yet, it was still more progress than he ever dreamed of making with him. It seemed like if Anna were out of the picture and he was able to convince Kazuya that Heihachi didn't pose a threat that it was possible that Kazuya may be attainable after all- providing he remembered what had transpired between them and stood by the things he said once he sobered up.

"Morning. Why are you smiling?" Kazuya asked, opening one eye and looking at Lee.

"Because it's nice to see you."

"Are you hungover?"

"Bad. You?"

"A little. Let's sleep for another hour and we'll go have breakfast-"

"Brunch."

"Fine, brunch and then we'll do whatever else you have planned."

"If you want, we can go work out with Bucket Head. His tournament is a week from today. I know he'll be in the gym all day."

"Sounds good," Kazuya said, opening his arms to Lee. After setting the alarm on the bedside table, Lee moved back over and put his head on Kazuya's shoulder. He was still unable to keep from smiling.


	11. June 1986

June 1986

The first week after he had received the report had been the worst. He had never felt so betrayed in his entire life. Quite clearly he had raised his own little nest of vipers. Perhaps it had been his own fault. In spite of how the ingrates would surely remember it, he had been exceedingly lenient with both boys. As long as they were meeting his expectations in training and achieving the best grades they were capable of, he had left them alone. They didn't have a curfew. He never punished them for excessive drinking or the parties he knew they had at the house every time he was away on business. He never told them how to spend their money.

It was true he had been a bit rougher on Kazuya, but Kazuya had brought it on himself. When he was young, it was because he was weak. The boy had needed to be tested. When he was older, it was because he never took anything seriously. This included school, work, training, and interpersonal relationships. To Heihachi's thinking, Kazuya just skated by whenever he could by doing the bare minimum and charming people into forgetting that he was such a big slacker.

In truth, if Kazuya hadn't been his son, Heihachi thought he could have liked Kazuya. He was intelligent, humorous, and a good employee. He had good social skills and he was a talented fighter. He just wasn't good enough. He wasn't intelligent enough. He didn't take things seriously enough. He didn't work hard enough. He didn't do enough to cultivate business relationships. He didn't train hard enough. As his son and principal heir, Kazuya was sorely lacking.

Whereas, Lee had rarely disappointed him. Beautiful, brilliant, hardworking, and witty, Lee had epitomized all he had ever wanted in a partner. If not for the smoking, increasingly excessive drinking, and his infatuation with Kazuya, Lee would've been perfect. In many ways, he would have been the ideal candidate to inherit the Zaibatsu. He was a genius. He had an innate understanding of business. He knew how to handle people expertly. Next to himself, he was the best he had ever seen. If he hadn't foolishly run off to New York, he would have stood to gain so much. Even running away would've been forgivable if he had just had a fling with Richard's daughter and come home, but what had happened between him and Kazuya was unforgivable.

To think he had attempted to tell Richard Williams about the child Anna had been carrying. He was sorry Richard had cancer, but he was no longer sorry that Richard had told him and ended his attempt to get Richard to talk to his daughter about what she was planning to do. He had called Richard on the first Saturday in April after their little dinner party. It was the only thing he could think to do. He had planned to tell Richard what he had found out and suggest that Anna tell Kazuya that she was pregnant. He suspected his fool son would propose on the spot and that wouldn't have been so bad. He liked Anna and he liked Richard. Maybe he could have gotten a family discount on assassinations. However, when he called, Richard did what he always did and took control of the conversation immediately.

"Richard."

"Hey. I'm glad you called. I've got something to tell you."

"Oh?" Heihachi waited. Richard did this all the time and it was best not to interrupt him or try to get your part of the conversation out first. It never worked.

"I've been meaning to call you. I went to the doctor a couple of days ago. He found a growth in my throat and they're going to do a biopsy. They didn't tell me much, but I can tell that they were thinking it wasn't good. You know, the big C."

"Oh. That's terrible," Heihachi replied, making a snap decision not to tell Richard why he had really called. He was dealing with his own problems and what the ironically staunch Irish Catholic assassin didn't know about his daughter getting an abortion wouldn't hurt him.

"Yeah… tell that boy of yours to quit smoking," Richard stated.

"I've tried. Believe me."

"Typical kid. So, I'm not telling the girls until I know something more definite. They're better off with your boys for now than they would be worrying themselves over me."

"Whatever you think is best," Heihachi replied. Judging by what he knew of the status of both relationships, Heihachi questioned whether the girls were better off, but he wasn't going to argue with point with Richard.

"Aye… so why did you call me?"

"Just a bad Russian. Don't worry about it. I'll have someone else take care of him in light of the circumstances," Heihachi replied. It wasn't a lie. There were always bad Russians. As luck would have it, a report about a Russian spy had come across his desk the day before.

"Nonsense. I'd much rather work. It'll help keep my mind off of my condition."

"If you're sure I'll send you the file," Heihachi replied.

"Of course I'm sure. It's a pleasure working with you- you're so organized and your checks never bounce."

"Two of my biggest selling points," Heihachi cracked.

"So you'll send it out then?" Richard asked.

"Yes, immediately. As long as you're up to it, I'm happy to give you the business," Heihachi replied.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome of course. Take care of yourself."

"Aye. I'll let you know how it pans out."

"Do that."

"I will. In the mean time, if you happen to tell your boys, just make sure that they know not to tell the girls. I'll tell them if I need to and when the timing is right."

"Certainly," Heihachi had replied. Then they had said their goodbyes and ended the conversation. He shrugged off his failure. Perhaps it was for the best. He had seen no indication that Kazuya was really ready to be a husband or a father, though he was nearly certain he would've jumped into it with both feet if he was aware of the circumstances.

Although it was useless, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Kazuya had learned the truth before Anna had gotten the abortion during the second week in April. There was a good chance he wouldn't have even gone to New York in May and if he had, he would've undoubtedly brought Anna with him.

By the end of the second week after he had gotten the report, Heihachi was kicking himself for not making that simple connection earlier and failing to bite the bullet and just tell Kazuya himself. With Kazuya engaged to Anna, as he supposed he might be, Lee may have returned to him either of his own volition or as a result of the use of well timed persuasion. Although he was sure Lee would have moped for awhile, in time Heihachi was confident he would have seen that it had been for the best.

During the third week after he had received the report, he had been numb. He felt he had tortured himself long enough and needed to stop. He made a conscious and deliberate decision to stop thinking about what had happened. He filled his time outside of work with mediation and intense training. He even had a dinner meeting with a handsome young business associate… the kind that Lee had called him on that night by the hot tub, but Heihachi had found the young man incredibly dull and had dropped him off at his own apartment on his way back to the house.

After a month had passed since he had received the report, Heihachi determined that the only way he could begin to cope with what had happened was to put his plans in motion to exact revenge. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. He had been hoping that Lee would come to his senses, return to Japan, and apologize for foolishly leaving, but as it stood now, Heihachi wouldn't have accepted his apology. Well, he liked to tell himself he wouldn't have. In reality, he wasn't so sure; he had such a weakness for the boy. On the other hand, he had no such deficiency where Kazuya was concerned. Every day at the Zaibatsu when he encountered his son, he felt an absolute loathing for the handsome young man who had inadvertently stolen the heart of the boy he loved, fucked him for a week, and then returned to Japan as if nothing had happened. The night after he had arrived back in Japan, he was on a date with Anna, apparently attempting to rekindle their romance after she had spent a month pushing him away.

In spite of his highly justified rage, Heihachi was surprised to find that when it came down to it, he still had sympathy for Lee. Though the boy had betrayed him, it was Kazuya's fault. He had led Lee on carelessly, obliviously, and thoughtlessly just because he could. Because he was horny. Or because he was bored. Because the girlfriend he had carelessly knocked up had put some distance between them. Because he wasn't aware that Lee was in love with him and he thought he could just take advantage of the opportunity to have some casual sex that Lee had probably viewed as anything but casual.

He was a little surprised and disgusted with himself. He had believed that when the moment came to put his plans for revenge into motion that he could be ruthless- that he could hurt Lee as callously as Lee had hurt him by leaving. However, it wasn't that easy. He was still in love with the boy. In contrast, he had no problem hurting Kazuya and he took comfort in knowing that to hurt Kazuya was to hurt Lee. Very likely more than hurting Lee himself, Heihachi thought with a smile, as he began to draft the briefing he was going to deliver to the leader of the Tekken Force. He was eager for Operation Devil Gene to commence.

When Kazuya had gotten back from New York, the first thing he had done was call Anna. He had to get what had happened in New York off of his chest and it was time to see if their relationship could be salvaged or if it was over.

"Hello?" Anna asked. She had clearly been asleep.

"Hi… it's ten o'clock on a Friday night. You were asleep?" Kazuya asked, concerned.

"I was tired. There was a doorbuster sale going on early this morning, so I was up at five. Didja have fun on your trip?"

"Yeah. Can I come over?" Kazuya asked, thinking about the tapped phone lines.

"Okay," Anna replied.

With that, Kazuya headed over to Anna's apartment on his red and black Kawasaki motorcycle. When he arrived, she buzzed him in. He was surprised to see that she was wearing what appeared to be one of his black undershirts, a pair of Snoopy pajama pants, and a pair of Snoopy slippers. What had happened to his sexy girlfriend?

"Hi," he said, hugging her and kissing the top of her head. She hugged him back.

"Hi. Didja bring me anything?" Anna asked, smiling.

"Yeah," Kazuya replied, reaching inside his coat. He took out what was clearly a bracelet box from Tiffany & Co. He could see a look of disappointment flash in her eyes before recovering and squealing her enthusiasm. He felt like an ass. It probably would've been better to come back empty handed at this rate. He supposed it almost seemed like he was teasing her, but that wasn't what he had meant by it at all. He had felt guilty for what had transpired between him and Lee and bought the bracelet Thursday while Lee was at work. He had even looked at the engagement rings briefly, but it just didn't feel right. He didn't know where they stood anymore.

"Thank you, Sweetie," Anna replied, opening the box. It was diamond bracelet in platinum. It had been expensive, but buying it hadn't made him feel any less guilty. She set the bracelet down on the counter and hugged him again. He hugged her hard.

"You okay? You're squishing me," Anna said.

"Yeah. I'm glad to see you."

"Well, I'm glad to see you, too. Do you want me to make some coffee or something? I might have some tea. I've got some whiskey. And Diet Coke, but I know you don't like that," Anna offered after he had released her from the hug.

"Coffee would be good," Kazuya replied, sitting down at her little kitchen table.

"Alright," Anna replied, and then began setting up the coffee. He watched her do things her cute little left handed way and was instantly reminded of Lee. He looked down at his folded hands instead and sat in silence until she sat down across from him.

"Are you alright? You're acting kind of weird," Anna said, putting her cold hands on his folded hands. He immediately opened his hands began to rub her cold little hands in an effort to warm them up.

"I'm fine. I just- something happened while I was in New York," Kazuya stated.

"Like what?" Anna asked, locking eyes with him.

"Well, I danced with a black girl who was a model and I made out with Lee… like seven times. The last time, I let him jerk me off," Kazuya confessed quickly, getting it all out in one breath and then waited.

Anna smiled incredulously and then erupted into laughter.

Kazuya looked at her, surprised and dismayed.

"Did you promise to write each other till summer camp next year?" Anna teased, squeezing Kazuya's hands gently. Anna sighed catching her breath and pulled Kazuya's right hand to her lips and kissed it.

"You're not mad?" Kazuya asked, confused. He had cheated on her. With Lee. And she was laughing.

"No… oh, Sweetie. The look on your face when you told me was priceless. I thought you had cheated on me or killed a homeless guy or something," Anna replied, still smiling.

"Did you hear what I said? I did cheat on you, didn't I?" Kazuya asked. He wasn't following her logic.

"I suppose in a way, but, you know, I think this happens a lot. Albeit, when people are about ten years younger usually, but it's not something to freak out over. I've made out with girls. You know, I'm surprised you and Lee never tried this before. I always thought he was attracted to you," Anna said, patting Kazuya's hands gently as she got up to pour the coffee. She put cream in both cups of coffee and then brought them to the table. She then set the sugar bowl down towards the middle of the table and began to put an absurd amount of sugar in her coffee. He watched her, amused in spite of his continued confusion over her reaction to his transgressions.

"You know, he more or less admitted as much, but I didn't know it. How come you didn't tell me?" Kazuya asked, puzzled how Anna knew all this time while he had been oblivious and why she hadn't said anything about it.

"Oh, Sweetie, I thought it was obvious. I mean, he went on all those double dates with Nina even though he was obviously gay. I always thought he kind of had a thing for you… but, well… I shouldn't tell you. I think your mind has been blown enough for now," Anna said, giggling before sipping her coffee.

"No, tell me! This is ridiculous! I didn't realize I was such a moron," Kazuya said, hoping to hear more of Anna's insight on the matter. He was just so damned confused at this point.

"Well, I might be off base about this, but I always kind of wondered about your Dad and Lee. I mean, I know your Dad was married and has had a couple of girlfriends over the years, but nothing that ever lasted. No second wife, but Lee lived there for a super long time after you moved out so I always wondered, you know, about that," Anna said, widening her eyes for emphasis.

"No, you're right. How the Hell did you figure it out? I saw them together once. I walked in on my Dad kissing his neck. How the Hell did you figure it out?" Kazuya reiterated.

"Like I said, he lived there a long time when he didn't have to. Also, I've caught your Dad staring at Lee's ass a few times."

Kazuya nodded.

"Is there anything else I should know?" Kazuya asked, wondering what else may have escaped his notice. Apparently, he needed to become more observant.

"Not that I'm aware of," Anna replied.  
"So, what does this mean?" Kazuya asked.

"I don't know, Sweetie. If you're asking what it means to me, then the answer is nothing. I think it's funny… and maybe it's my fault because I've been a little distant lately, but seeing you now, like this… well, I want to make it up to you," Anna replied, finishing her statement in a low breathy voice. He smiled slightly, highly aroused. Suddenly, his sexy girlfriend had returned. He stood up, went over to her side of the table, threw her over his right shoulder and carried her into the bedroom.

Afterwards, Kazuya held her close and kissed her on the nose.

"I missed this… a lot," Kazuya told her.

"Me, too," Anna replied.

"I'm really sorry about what happened."

"No need to be sorry."

"Yeah, there is. I should've controlled myself. I'm worried that I led Lee on, which wasn't what I meant to do- I was just so horny."

"Well, if you're worried about that, you should talk to him about it. Just explain to him that it was fun, but it can't happen again."

"Yeah, but I don't want to hurt him," Kazuya replied.

"Well, being honest with him now would probably hurt him less in the long run," Anna told Kazuya.

"Yeah… you're right. Are we good now?" Kazuya asked, still unsure of what the problem had been, but he was under the impression that they had just made up.

"Yeah."

"What happened? Did I do something?"

"No… I sometimes get frustrated with the pace of our relationship, but pushing you away for that reason is stupid. I can see that now," Anna replied, kissing him.

"Well, good, I'm glad that's done with. So… the thing with Lee-"

"Oh, geez, that again?" Anna teased.

"Yeah… you're not going to think of me differently because of it, right?"

"No. Like I said, I assumed it had already happened."

"Great. So you already thought I was a little gay?"

"Sure. Just around the edges. How was it, anyway?" Anna asked, giggling.

"No. We're not doing this."

"Oh, come on. I bet it was _hot_," Anna said, smiling.

"No… not doing this." Kazuya reiterated.

"Is he a good kisser?" Anna asked.

Kazuya sighed.

"Yes. He's a great kisser and the hand job felt incredible. Satisfied?" Kazuya asked moodily, pulling away from her.

"Oh, Sweetie, don't be mad. I'm not surprised and there's no reason to be embarrassed. It's actually kind of hot, you know. You're both _so _attractive," Anna said, and then continued, "It always turned me on with the two of you would dance together."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Anna replied, pulling Kazuya back on top of her. He was already ready to perform again.

For the month that followed the reconciliation, they were more or less inseparable. Telling Anna the truth about what happened with Lee had made Kazuya feel closer to Anna than he ever had before. When she had gotten the call from her father in early June about his health, Kazuya had been disappointed. He knew it was selfish, but things finally seemed to be going really well between them and it seemed unfair that she was going to leave Japan to go back to Ireland.

When he dropped her off at the airport on a cool Wednesday morning, two days after she had gotten the phone call, he hugged her tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I know this is the right thing to do, going home to take care of Daddy, but I wish we didn't have to be apart," Anna said, wiping her face with her hand.

"Yeah… but I'll visit there and you can visit here… especially since Nina will probably be there driving you crazy. You'll want to come back and stay with me for a bit. And there's a good chance that since they caught the cancer in such an early stage, your Dad will be fine pretty soon anyway. When you're back, we can start thinking more about the future," Kazuya stated, brushing her hair back from her face. She smiled and kissed him one more time before boarding her flight. Feeling miserable, Kazuya drove to the Zaibatsu and went up to his office.

After about an hour, his direct phone line rang. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to deal with the only person who called his office phone directly nowadays: his father.

"Hello."

"Hi. Is that how you answer your phone now? You sound so grumpy," Lee commented. Kazuya looked at the clock. It was right around midnight in New York.

"No… I thought you were my Dad. What's up? Did Nina leave for Ireland?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah. So, I'm guessing Anna did the same?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. I just dropped her off at the airport a little while ago, actually."

"Nina didn't even stay the rest of the day after she got the call. She came to my office to tell me what had happened and that she needed to go right away. I had to call her work and explain what had happened and then I had to get her a plane ticket to Ireland. It was pretty crazy. I'm actually working on packing some of her things now to send to her," Lee explained.

"Oh. So she's done with New York?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah."

"And Aiden?"

"No, actually. When she told him what was going on, he insisted on going back with her. He says he's dropping out of NYU," Lee replied.

"Well, that's fucking crazy. He can visit her if he really wants to- he doesn't have to take it that far."

"Well, from what I've gathered, this has been a long time coming. His brother is involved in the IRA and he's thinking that he wants to go and fight the evil English oppressors or some shit. He's gotten her pretty hyped up on it, too, which… well, Heihachi always thought Richard had some ties, but he didn't really want to know."

"Yeah. Dick Williams is a pretty bad dude. I just hope Anna doesn't get caught up in all that. She needs to remember she's there to take care of her father, not to help take care of business."

"So, things are better between the two of you again?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. Things were going really well actually. It was like you thought. She wasn't happy about the pace things were going, but I basically told her that once she's back we'll start making long term plans."

"Oh, wow. Congratulations," Lee said in a hollow sounding voice.

"Yeah, thanks. So are you staying in New York?" Kazuya asked.

"I don't know. I might for the simple fact that I have nowhere else to go," Lee replied.

"I hear the violins, Chaolan," Kazuya cracked, but then continued, "I was wondering if you were thinking of coming home. Maybe it's time I put in the order for that violet Mustang?"

"I don't think that would be such a good idea, Kazuya."

"Why not?"

"For lots of reasons."

"But there are lots of reasons for you to come home, too," Kazuya argued.

"I don't think so."

"I miss you."

"Yeah. I miss you, too."

"And work still sucks without you here and you said you missed your career."

"I do, but…"

"But what?" Kazuya asked.

"After what happened between us in New York, I can't imagine things going back to how they were. I ruined everything we had because I couldn't control myself," Lee stated quietly.

"You can't really believe that," Kazuya replied, extremely surprised by Lee's assertion.

"I do. You haven't called me since you got back. You're back together with Anna and you're talking about making a serious commitment. What other explanation can there be? I screwed up. I pushed you into something and now you don't really want me around," Lee said.

Kazuya felt horrible. He should've called Lee. There was no excuse. By not calling Lee and telling him the truth, Lee's imagination had clearly run away with him and led him to think that he had ruined their relationship and that Kazuya wanted nothing to do with him. That wasn't the case. He just didn't know how to approach him about the confusion and angst he was feeling. He had been happy with Anna, but admittedly he was happiest when he was able to block Lee out of his mind completely. Not because he hated him or resented him, but because he loved him so much and because he had found himself so attracted to him that he felt deeply confused. When he thought about Lee, it was impossible to be happy.

"That's not true. Honestly… I've had a really hard time dealing with my feelings for you. When I came back and I told Anna about what had happened and she just laughed and said she was surprised it hadn't happened sooner. At first, I felt fine about it… you know, like it was just a typical little thing that had happened. But when I'm alone, I think about you a lot. I think about what happened and how bad I wanted you, but most of all, I think about how much I love you. I want you to come back, but at the same time I'm afraid of what will happen if you do. So, I've tried not to be alone. I've spent every second out of work with Anna to avoid thinking about it, but when I'm at work or at the gym or even just when I wake up at night and she's asleep, I just can't stop thinking about you," Kazuya confessed.

"And you're telling me now?" Lee asked.

"Yeah."

"This past month has been Hell for me!" Lee roared.

"I'm so sorry. Just come home and we'll deal with it."

"I don't know. I don't want to make things worse."

"Well, I wasn't making things any better by attempting to avoid thinking about what happened and with Anna gone, I won't even be able to do that much. Just come home."

He heard Lee sigh loudly.

"Please. This is stupid. I think we both know that you're ready to come back."

"I don't think it's that simple," Lee replied.

"Why not?"

"Again, for lots of reasons. Perhaps most significantly because I don't know if Heihachi would let me at this point."

"I don't think that would be an issue. Regardless of your interpersonal stuff, you were a valuable part of the organization. He'd be foolish not to let you come back."

"Whether or not that's true, he's not going to let it dictate whether or not I get my job back," Lee replied.

"I suppose you're right."

"Yeah… maybe I should talk to him."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to talk to him first?" Kazuya asked, regretting making the offer as soon as it came out of his mouth.

"No. No offense, but I think I would do better in this instance."

"In every instance where he's concerned."

"Maybe not anymore. We'll see."

"Well, if he's being reasonable, he'll let you come back. It's what's best for the future of the Zaibatsu."

"Yeah. He knows that, but that doesn't mean he'll let me. That 'interpersonal stuff,' as you quaintly put it, tends to serve as a pretty strong motivation for why people do what they do. Often more so than reason."

"Well, no kidding, but I think he'll still give you your job back. Do you know how many panel interviews we've done for engineers? Probably about a dozen since you left. Do you know how many we hired? None. And there were a few that I wouldn't have had a problem hiring. I mean, with the understanding that nobody is going to have your all of your qualifications, it's not that hard to find a decent engineer. But at the last interview, which was a few weeks ago, I looked over at my Dad, you know- to kind of gauge what he was thinking about this candidate, and he was drawing a fucking tree."

"Well, in his defense, that doesn't mean he's not listening. He draws a lot while he's on the phone and when he's listening to presentations."

"Yeah, well, this was a seriously good candidate, but my Dad didn't care. I don't even know why he's kept reposting your job. He's clearly not interested in hiring anyone to replace you."

"Is my desk still empty?"

"Yes… but some people have put their binders on it."

"Why? There's binder shelf," Lee pointed out. He sounded seriously perplexed.

"It's easier to just throw them on your desk apparently," Kazuya replied, amused by how challenged Lee seemed by the concept.

"I wonder what else people are being lazy about while I'm not there to crack the whip," Lee remarked.

"I don't know, but if you're planning to come back, in addition to your fabulous new car, I'll throw in a strongly worded memo about getting things off of your desk and putting things away where they belong."

"Do I get to spin the big wheel, too?" Lee joked.

"Only if you're good," Kazuya teased back.

"Oh, I'm the best."

"I know. Maybe I'll even throw in a year's supply of soup."

"Gee, thanks."

"Do you want me to transfer you over to my Dad?"

"You finally mastered those buttons on your phone? Congratulations."

"Ah, shut up. It was a lot harder than my old phone."

"I know. It took me two whole days to figure out how to do everything with the new phones."

"And it took me two whole years and sometimes it still takes me by surprise. I hate the intercom. Sometimes my Dad's disembodied voice orders me to the conference room. I think he does it because he knows it makes me jump."

"It's an intercom; that's how it works. What's frightening about that?" Lee asked.

"You've never been startled by the intercom on the new phones?"

"Honestly, no."

"Well, that's something I'll have to work on."

"No, don't do that."

"Sorry. That's what you get for ripping on the Master of Business."

"Well, maybe I won't come back then."

"Oh, stop. I won't try to scare you with intercom. Satisfied?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to transfer you?"

"No. I think I'll call him… well, tonight for you- in the morning for me."

"Are you thinking about getting some sleep?" Kazuya asked. It was after midnight in New York and Lee sounded a bit manic and was now talking about a call he planned to make in the morning. Also, given that he was in the middle of a project, even one as mundane as packing Nina's things, there was a good chance that he wouldn't stop to sleep that night.

"Yeah… I'll sleep for a while."

"Okay. Are you allowed to smoke in your apartment?"

"No… but I have all the windows open. You can hear me smoking?"

"Yeah. It's weird, but I can. It's the pauses."

"Well, I'm not terribly worried about the security deposit. Now that I know that Heihachi didn't have my assets frozen, I don't really care anymore."

"Yeah. You should get some sleep," Kazuya advised.

"I will."

"Soon."

"Yeah, I will. I'll just finish the box I'm on and then I'll go to bed, okay?"

"Yeah. This sounds familiar. Like the conversations we've had when you've ended up staying up all night in the lab. You know, you can't take a nap on my office couch when you work in New York," Kazuya teased.

"No, it's fine. I'm really going to bed. This isn't that compelling."

"Alright. Goodnight. I love you," Kazuya said.

"Love you, too," Lee replied.

Kazuya hung up the phone and sighed. He hoped that asking Lee to come back was the right decision.

"Hi… it's me."

"I have never understood people who say that. Clearly, if I should know who you are by the greeting, then I will know who you are prior to uttering a phrase that does nothing to shed any light on the subject," Heihachi replied.

Lee sighed. This promised to be a mature and productive conversation.

"This is Lee Chaolan. Do I have the pleasure of speaking with Heihachi Mishima this evening?"

"Don't be a wise ass. That expression is just a pet peeve of mine. Anyway, why are you calling? Is something wrong?"

Lee couldn't tell if he really didn't know or if he had already received an intelligence report on his conversation with Kazuya earlier that day. He supposed it didn't matter. Apparently he was being made to jump through the hoops either way.

"Nothing is wrong. I was just contemplating returning to Japan and I was wondering about the possibility of resuming my career at the Zaibatsu."

"Why?"

"Well, Nina's gone back to Ireland to take care of her father. So, now I'm here alone, working this job that a trained chimpanzee could do and I'm sick of it. It's not fun anymore."

"Why resume your career at the Zaibatsu? There have been so many would-be poachers over the years. What about that Danish company from about a year ago? They would hire you in a second."

"So what are you saying?" Lee asked. He wasn't about to play this game.

"I'm not saying anything yet. I am asking why you want to return to the Mishima Zaibatsu," Heihachi replied firmly.

"Creative control, funding, and long-term outlook."

"And?"

"Top of the line facilities and equipment."

"And?"

"I give up. What do you want me to say?" Lee asked, wondering how much Heihachi knew about him and Kazuya. Clearly, he knew something.

"Would be you be willing to take a pay cut?"

"Yes."

"Foolish boy. That is not how you answer that question," Heihachi admonished.

"Fine. Yes, do I have to?" Lee asked.

"Here's a hint; say no."

"Well, I don't want to quibble over money. I really don't care. I just want my job back."

"Worse still. Perhaps your brain has atrophied."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Enlighten me."

"You would like a pay increase. You have a unique combination of skills and business acumen. Many other companies would be delighted to acquire you."

"Oh."

"Yes, but that isn't going to happen."

"Oh."

"BUT…"

"You would be willing to hire me back at my previous salary?" Lee asked.

"Correct."

"Is this a negotiating lesson or a job offer?"

"Both."

"Well, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But… this doesn't change- I'll be looking for my own place," Lee blurted, unsure if the offer would still stand once he made that clear.

"I was under that impression. It's too bad," Heihachi replied in his typically vague style.

"I'm sorry," Lee said. He was genuinely sorry about breaking Heihachi's heart. It had never been his intention.

"As you should be," Heihachi replied.

"Are you sure that the offer still stands given what I've said?" Lee asked.

"Yes, of course. You really are irreplaceable, which is different than indispensible."

"Well, thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. It would be asinine to let that interpersonal stuff get in the way of a strong business relationship," Heihachi stated.

Lee sighed. Clearly, he had listened to or read a detailed report of his and Kazuya's earlier conversation. Heihachi would never choose a phrase like 'interpersonal stuff' to describe what had transpired between them.

"What is it all for?" Lee asked, enraged and emboldened by Heihachi's decision to so obviously quote Kazuya.

"What is what for? Heihachi asked.

"You know what I'm talking about. The wiretaps and the surveillance."

"I like to keep informed, but you didn't stay in touch. Perhaps if you hadn't been such a child about the whole thing it wouldn't have been necessary, but I suppose we'll never know."

"This is about the reason why I left, isn't it?" Lee asked.

"Yes, the real reason," Heihachi replied pointedly.

"Then why are you letting me come back?"

"Well, who am I to stand in the way of… well, whatever it is that you two have," Heihachi sneered.

"We don't 'have' anything."

"Do not lie to me. I know what happened when Kazuya went to New York."

"And you also know what's happened since he's come back."

"Yes… his reconciliation with Miss Williams. How does that make you feel, I wonder?"

"It's a good thing," Lee lied as convincingly as he could.

Heihachi merely laughed.

Lee sighed again. He had been with Heihachi for almost nine years; clearly, the man knew him quite well.

"Is there anything else?" Heihachi asked.

"No. Is there a specific-"

"No. Just get back when you can. I'm sure you have a variety of things you have to take care of before you leave New York."

"Ok. Well, thank you."

"Of course. Let me know when you are back."

"Ok, I will. Bye."

"Goodbye."

Lee hung up the phone. He grabbed his cigarettes and went out to the fire escape. The June morning was deliciously temperate and he felt refreshed in spite of having slept for only three hours. Kazuya had been right; once he had started packing the boxes, he hadn't been able to stop until three in the morning when all of Nina's things had been packed. He would work on getting them shipped out later that day and he'd give his two weeks notice at Keller Industries. Lee took a long drag on his cigarette, as he thought about his imminent return to Japan. He couldn't help but wonder if he was making a mistake. True, he'd have his career back, but between Heihachi's disappointment and the uncertain state in which his relationship with Kazuya stood, he really wasn't sure how he'd find his return to the life he had left almost a year ago.

A week later, Lee returned to his apartment after work and the gym and was surprised to find a letter from Kazuya in his mailbox. His stomach tightened as he examined the envelope. He couldn't describe how, but there was something off about Kazuya's handwriting. After running all the way up to the fifth floor and entering the apartment, Lee opened the letter.

'Lee,

Do not return to Japan. Please just find somewhere to go and be safe. My father's thugs attacked me as I was leaving the Zaibatsu the day after we spoke. As they rendered me unconscious, I'm not sure what they did to me, but I woke up in my own apartment with the worst flu-like symptoms I've ever had. I'm starting to feel somewhat better now, but I don't feel right- not like myself.

Please do not put yourself at risk by coming back. The best thing for you to do would be to just disappear and not to tell anyone where you've gone. Including me. Thinking back to what my father said in December, this makes perfect sense. I was stupid to let my guard down for even a second. I've failed you. I can't protect you. I can't protect myself.

Before you heed my advice, which I sincerely hope you do, please tell Richard Williams what has happened and that he needs to forbid Anna, and Nina for that matter, from seeing me or my father for any reason. I would also recommend that they not return to Japan outside of his protection. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I want them to be safe.

You've always been my best friend. Please do what I am asking you to do. I love you. You need to know I always will.

-Kazuya'

Lee read the letter twice before stumbling over to the chair and sitting down. He was in shock. He had been wrong about Heihachi. Not only had Heihachi chosen to hurt him, he had chosen the most effective means possible. Pushing his hair back with his left hand before fumbling for his cigarettes, Lee was at a loss. Part of him knew that Kazuya was right. Now that he knew what Heihachi was capable of, it would only make sense to try to get away. But he couldn't do that. He knew that Kazuya would never cooperate with a request like that from him. Kazuya would have returned in order to do everything in his power to try to protect him.

Lee glanced around the apartment. There was nothing he would miss and technically he'd be paying for the apartment for two more months anyway. He was entitled to store things there until he found a means for shipping his things back to Japan. And if he couldn't, they were just _things_. They didn't matter. What mattered was Kazuya and finding out what Heihachi had done to him and what he could do to reverse it. Shortly before midnight that night, Lee was on a plane back to Japan.


	12. July 1986

July 1986

Lee waited in the traffic circle in front of Kazuya's building in his brand new violet colored Mustang. Their second attempt at carpooling wasn't going much better than their first attempt several years ago, but Lee no longer cared how late they arrived to work. He sighed as he watched Kazuya exit the building and walk towards the car. No change…or maybe a little worse. It was hard to say. Especially now that Lee found himself getting used to the change. The once animated and handsome young man who had until recently possessed abundant energy and good humor now moved like a robot. He seldom smiled. He generally avoided physical contact. And then there were his eyes. They were the worst. His once lively, mirthful eyes had taken on an unchanging cold, almost dead expression. He had been that way since Lee had arrived almost a month before.

When Lee had knocked on Kazuya's door at two in the morning after an exhausting thirteen hour flight to Japan, he didn't know what to expect. Kazuya's letter was still in his pocket. He had read it over and over again on the plane. He couldn't stop himself. He was about to give up knocking and begin to search his key ring for his key to Kazuya's penthouse when Kazuya opened the door.

"Lee. Didn't you get my letter?" Kazuya asked. He didn't look or sound surprised or glad to see him. But he didn't seem angry either. It was strange.

"Yes," Lee replied.

"Then why are you here?" Kazuya asked.

"Kazuya, did you really think that I could do what you asked me to? If it had been me, you wouldn't have just deserted me even if I had asked you to," Lee replied.

"I suppose I wouldn't have," Kazuya responded. He looked as if he were struggling to determine the validity of that statement. Lee felt his heart sinking. Something was horribly wrong. He seemed to have lost between ten and fifteen pounds since he had seen him in May and his voice was flat and devoid of emotion, as were his eyes.

Lee then embraced Kazuya tightly and was further dismayed to feel an unsteady hand, slowly come to rest on the small of his back and nothing more. Kazuya had always given him tight, verging on painful, bear hugs.

After a moment, Lee slowly let go of Kazuya and took a step back and attempted to begin to a further examination through teary eyes. It was then that Kazuya's eyes flickered and he pulled Lee to himself violently.

"I'm sorry… I just- I'm not myself. It's getting worse," Kazuya stated in a voice that sounded close to his normal voice.

"I'll do everything in my power to try to fix this. This is all my fault," Lee said, tears streaming down his face as he rested his head on Kazuya's shoulder.

"No. If it hadn't been this, it would've been something else, Lee. My father hates me… and I hate him. He would have found a reason to do this anyway. If it hadn't been you, it would have eventually been something else," Kazuya told him, rubbing his back gently.

"I'm not so sure," Lee said softly, tears continuing to flow.

"I am. Don't cry," Kazuya told him, in a soft voice, continuing to hold him.

Lee took a deep breath. He was being selfish. Kazuya had been the one who had been brutally attacked and apparently experimented on, yet he was the one crying and looking to be comforted. Lee took a step back and looked Kazuya in the eye.

"I'm going to fix this. I'm going to make this right. No matter what it takes," Lee vowed.

"I know you'll do your best, but I'm not overly optimistic," Kazuya replied. In an instant _he_ was gone again. The hollow doppelganger had reappeared as swiftly as he had vanished when Lee had begun to cry.

"I will do everything in my power and anything necessary," Lee stated firmly, recognizing what that would likely mean. It would be worth it, though, to have Kazuya back, even if he was never able to kiss him again. Even if he was sentenced to loving him from afar for the rest of his life, it would be completely worth it.

"I appreciate it, but I'm not sure that there's anything that can be done."

"Well, if there is something that can be done, we'll find out and do it, and if there's not, I will work ceaselessly to discover what we can do about it."

"Alright. Thank you," Kazuya replied mechanically.

"No need to thank me," Lee said, smiling slightly, as his heart continued to break. He watched Kazuya for a moment. He appeared to be deep in thought.

"Are you hungry?" Kazuya finally asked.

"No. I ate on the plane," Lee lied.

"Nice try. Do you want pancakes?" Kazuya asked.

"No… I'm not hungry."

"Do you even remember the last time you ate?"

"No," Lee confessed, attempting to remember. Ever since he opened the letter, everything had become such a muddled blur.

Kazuya managed a small smile, entered his kitchen, and went about taking out the ingredients and implements necessary to make pancakes. Lee simply stood there watching him.

"Do you need help?"

"No… I'm an expert at pancakes," Kazuya replied. He sounded almost himself again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… sit down," Kazuya replied, beginning to measure the pancake mix with a measuring cup. Lee merely watched Kazuya for a few minutes. His fine motor skills seemed unaffected by whatever had happened. He appeared perfectly capable of measuring, mixing, and subsequently flipping the pancakes. Once he had made three pancakes, he bought them to Lee on a plate along with a fork and knife. He then went to the refrigerator and grabbed the syrup and the orange juice. He took a clean glass out of the drainer and poured Lee a glass of juice. Lee thanked him when he brought the syrup and the juice to the table.

"You can start eating; I'm just going to make myself a couple of pancakes," Kazuya said.

"I can wait," Lee replied.

"Suit yourself," Kazuya said, as he approached the stove and proceeded to prepare the final two pancakes for himself. When he finished, he poured himself a glass of orange juice and took a fork from the dish drainer and sat down across from Lee.

"Kazuya," Lee began, trying to make eye contact with Kazuya as he appeared to be attempting to drown his pancakes in syrup.

"Mmm?" Kazuya asked, looking up briefly as he put down the syrup.

"What do you remember about the attack?"

"Nothing much really. Like I said in the letter, my father's thugs- that Tekken Force group, attacked me and knocked me out. I feel like I woke up once… in a lab I didn't recognize and I was strapped down to a table. People started panicking- except for the old man in the lab coat who injected me with something that knocked me back out. The next time I woke up, I was in my apartment alone and I had a high fever for three days. In the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was going to die. I mean, I thought that maybe my father just wanted to kill me and make it look like I had suddenly gotten sick and died. I was violently ill. Vomiting, diarrhea, chills, horrible pains. It wasn't until the fourth day that I was able to write the letter to you and call the courier service to pick it up. It was the first time I felt lucid since I had woken up, but as I said, I didn't and still don't feel like myself. That being said, I think I may have seen the inside of the secret lab. I kept thinking that I ought to stay alive to tell you about it. It seemed like a regular lab, only scarier. Probably because I had been knocked out and strapped to a table so I could be experimented on there," Kazuya joked with a slight smiling, seemingly brought back somewhat by recalling their joking speculations about the secret lab.

Lee attempted to smile back, but merely managed a sympathetic frown.

"Don't look at me like that. I know we used to joke about it. I'm trying to make it how it was and you're giving me a look."

"I know. I'm sorry. It just doesn't seem funny now," Lee apologized, forcing himself to take another bite of his pancakes. They were good and he needed to eat, but he simply wasn't hungry.

Kazuya shrugged.

"Did you really think you might die?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you call me immediately?"

"I didn't have the presence of mind and even if I did, I didn't want to put you in danger. I wanted you to be able to make a clean break. That's why I wrote the letter."

Lee nodded, watching Kazuya enthusiastically eat his pancakes.

"Have you seen Heihachi since it happened?"

"No. And I haven't talked to him either. I didn't feel like it was necessary to call in sick since he knows exactly what happened to me. Either his spies know I'm still alive or he's playing it by ear and assuming I am because he hasn't gotten a call from my building manager, who in turn hasn't gotten any complaints regarding a horrible smell coming from the penthouse," Kazuya joked, continuing to eat his pancakes. Lee pushed his away, only half eaten. "If you're really not hungry, do you mind if I finish those?"

"No, go ahead. How much weight did you lose?" Lee asked.

"Oh… I didn't check. Do I look like I did?" Kazuya responded.

"Yes."

"I'm not sure. I haven't had much to eat since it happened. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep it down, but these are just tasting so good," Kazuya replied, adding more syrup to Lee's pancakes.

"It's good that you've regained your appetite," Lee said, watching Kazuya voraciously consume his pancakes.

Kazuya nodded.

"Do you mind if I have a cigarette?"

"No," Kazuya replied, going to one of the low kitchen cupboards and taking out an ashtray that Lee had stolen from an upscale Italian hotel.

Lee took his cigarettes out of his pockets and lit one. He was amused that Kazuya had kept one of the ashtrays he had acquired.

"Are you staying here?"

"If that's alright."

"Of course. How do you only have one suitcase?" Kazuya asked.

"Uh- I got a letter from you stating that you were knocked unconscious and implying that you were experimented on. I wasn't overly concerned about packing after that," Lee replied.

"Right," Kazuya agreed, seeming a little perplexed.

Lee took a long drag on his cigarette. He looked at those strange, dead eyes. Perhaps he was no longer capable of understanding why Lee had left his apartment and possessions with such a sense of urgency. Just as he seemed unable to understand why Lee couldn't have simply followed the directions he had given him in the letter.

"I'll either have the things sent to me or I'll tell the landlord to keep, sell, or chuck as appropriate. I'm not worried about the stuff I had in New York," Lee explained.

"Okay," Kazuya replied, nodding and then sipping his orange juice.

"And I might as well tell you now that I didn't call Richard Williams yet. I'm optimistic that we can resolve this without ever having a need to tell Richard, Anna, or Nina. If it turns out we can't, I'll do exactly as you tell me to do then, alright?" Lee asked.

"Yes. That's fine… except I wish you had just listened to me and done it then. If my father hurts either of those girls, I will kill him," Kazuya replied, his dark eyes flashing. _He _was back… or was he? His concern for the girls was very much Kazuya, but threatening to kill Heihachi? He may have hated his father, but he had never threatened to kill him before. But he had always professed to hate him and just last month Lee had seen what Kazuya was capable of during that street fight in New York. The sick crunch and blood curdling scream had made an indelible impression on Lee and served as a testament to the violence that Kazuya had already been capable of.

"I doubt that he would-"

"Do you now? Because before you doubted he would raise a hand against either of us, but I was attacked, so you were wrong about that. And you did run off with Nina and thinking back to the things my father said to me in December, I don't think any of us are safe," Kazuya stated.

"What did he say?"

"I can't remember specifically… just that nobody would be happy about what he would do if you didn't return to Japan within a timeframe that he deemed acceptable. Incidentally, all bets were probably off when I blew my load on your abs," Kazuya cracked, with a smile.

Lee nodded, slightly embarrassed by Kazuya's colorful choice of phrase.

"Not that it would make much of a difference, if at all, but I'm pretty sure that he thinks we had sex."

"I doubt it would make any difference to him," Kazuya replied, gulping down the rest of his orange juice.

Lee nodded again, but then moved on to a new topic.

"How have you been sleeping?"

"The first three days, I drifted in and out consciousness. I don't know that I fell asleep as much as I was passing out. Starting on the fourth day, I've been sleeping a lot and I was feeling tired and really weak, but it's not as bad now," Kazuya replied.

"That's good."

"Yeah… well, except, that means my body is done fighting it, right?"

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing that can be done," Lee replied.

"Yeah. I just wish I knew what this meant."

"When you say you don't feel like yourself, what do you mean exactly?" Lee asked.

"You don't see?" Kazuya responded.

"I have my own observations of the differences. I want to know what you're referring to," Lee instructed.

"Alright. I'm not having any trouble remembering people, things, places, events… anything. I _know_ that I love you, but that's the problem. I _know _it. I remember that I do. I don't feel it. I don't _feel _much of anything anymore. I'll have these sporadic moments… like when I hugged you because you were crying, when I feel something, but most of the time I feel nothing. I can't imagine what my life will become when I can no longer remember what it was to feel. When I can no longer convince myself to love on an academic basis- then what? Just the hate? _That_, I can feel. I _hate_ my father. But my love for you or for Anna… it's gone."

Lee put out his cigarette and just looked at Kazuya. He didn't know what to say. He wished he had never gone to New York. Damned space. He would give anything to take it all back and he resolved to try to do just that.

"I'm sorry if this upsets you… you did ask, though, and I thought as a scientist, you would genuinely wanted to know," Kazuya said, looking at him with those strange, dead eyes and gently patting his hand with that same uncertain touch that had touched his lower back during their initial embrace.

Lee nodded, teary eyed again. He wasn't just some scientist. He was his best friend. Did he not remember that?

"I'm tired… do you want to go to bed?" Kazuya asked, apparently unaffected by Lee's fresh display of emotion.

Lee just nodded, picking up the plates and bringing them to the sink. Kazuya picked up the glasses. In Kazuya's bedroom, Lee stripped down to his briefs and got into the bed. Still in the sweatpants and t-shirt he opened the door wearing, Kazuya got into the bed beside him and turned off the lamp on the bedside table. In the dark, Lee lay on his back. Tears were streaming down the sides of his face. One tear made its way into his left ear. He sniffed and brushed the tears from his face with his hand.

"It's worse than you thought?" Kazuya asked, opening his arms to Lee.

"No," Lee lied, laying his head on Kazuya's shoulder.

"It's okay to be afraid. I was initially. I still would be if I were capable, I think. Occasionally I am and I'm terrified," Kazuya stated in that calm, mechanical voice.

At that point, Lee was longer able to keep it together and began to sob. Kazuya held him tightly and made soft shushing noises.

"I can't believe he did this to you," Lee sobbed into Kazuya's shoulder.

"I know. You loved him. You didn't know what he was capable of," Kazuya murmured, kissing Lee's forehead.

"But you told me."

"I tried, but I wanted to believe you were right," Kazuya confessed.

"I'm so sorry," Lee moaned.

"Don't. It was my mistake. I never should have let my guard down. Not for a second," Kazuya replied. Lee could hear that it was _him_ and instantly he knew that he needed to tell _him_ before it was too late.

"I'm in love with you. I have been since I was fifteen. Do you remember that tournament where that boy from France broke my ankle and they called the fight? And Heihachi was just disappointed… didn't say anything… just turned his back on me, but you walked out to the ring and you asked me if I was okay and when you saw I wasn't, you just picked me up- like there weren't three hundred people watching us. That French kid called us fags, but you just told him to fuck off. I've been in love with you since that second."

"That second?" Kazuya teased.

"Yeah… really precise, huh?"

"Yeah. And when that thug went to grab your left ankle after the fight…"

"You remembered it was my weak ankle?"

"Yeah."

"I seduced Heihachi because I was jealous. I seduced him the night you lost your virginity to Hiromi. When I set out to do it, I just wanted to hurt you because I was hurting, but it was the biggest mistake I ever made… and I'm about to make it again, but before I do, I needed you to know that I'm in love with you."

Kazuya was silent.

"And… I went to New York to get away from you. Because I was in love with you- not your father. It was never your fault, but I just want to tell you."

"Fuck, Lee… is there anything else you want to tell me? For real this time… not like the last time I asked you this on your birthday."

"No, that's everything," Lee replied.

Kazuya sighed and kissed his forehead again.

"Don't go back to him."

"But he may have the antidote for whatever it is you have. If I can just manipulate him into reversing whatever it is that they did, it'll be worth it."

"Even if you have to stay with him until one of you dies?"

"Yes."

"Keeping in mind that it'll never be like it was. You don't love him. You can't trust him. You know what he's capable of now."

"Yes, but this is my fault. I need to make this sacrifice to make things right. I want you to be happy," Lee said, more tears rolling down his face.

"Do you honestly think I could be happy knowing that you made a sacrifice like that to make me happy? No," Kazuya replied, grabbing a tissue from the box on the nightstand and gently wiping Lee's face.

"I have to try, Kazuya," Lee stated firmly.

"I suppose so," Kazuya agreed in that mechanical sounding voice that he had already begun to hate. And just like that, _he _was gone again and the creature that was left held him awkwardly.

"Can I try something?" Lee asked.

Yeah," Kazuya replied.

Lee moved himself up slightly and kissed Kazuya on the lips. Kazuya kissed back mechanically… politely. Lee pulled away and sighed, continuing to lay his head on the strange shoulder.

"Did you want to have sex?" Kazuya asked unexpectedly, in that cold, hollow voice.

"Did _you_, Kazuya?" Lee responded. It was strange to think that a little over a minute ago there was nothing he would've want more, but sex with this stranger would be just that.

"No… not really. I just thought you might. You did just kiss me," Kazuya pointed out.

"To see if it would turn you on. Did it?"

"No. Sorry."

"Does thinking about Anna turn you on?"

"No. I can still get it up, but my sex drive is completely under my control."

"Fascinating."

"How so?"

"It makes me question who this… treatment is really intended for."

"So, you think I'm just a test subject? Who would want this?" Kazuya asked.

"I have a thought. Your father often felt controlled by sexual urges," Lee replied.

"And those nagging bits of sentiment have led him to go after me rather than you directly. With this 'treatment,' as you called it, that would no longer be an issue."

Lee merely sighed.

"We've got to stop him. He's practically inhuman as it is. Can you imagine what he might do with something like this?" Kazuya asked.

"No… at least, I don't want to," Lee replied, closing his eyes, his head still on the stranger's shoulder.

He felt that same unsteady hand stroke his hair gently and he closed his eyes.

"You don't have to do this. I feel how uncomfortable you are," Lee murmured, repositioning himself beside what remained of Kazuya.

Kazuya sighed, and placed a tentative but protective arm over Lee.

Lee snuggled close to the creature that Kazuya had become. He was trying so hard. Lee couldn't just reject him. After all, he had seen flashes of his Kazuya. He wasn't completely gone.

Initially, Lee had wondered how he would get to sleep that night, but he fell asleep as soon as he and Kazuya stopped talking. He had been more exhausted than he had realized. The next morning around nine, Lee had gotten up and began to prepare himself for a trip to the Mishima Zaibatsu. He showered, shaved, and then dressed. He put on a white suit, a lavender colored dress shirt and a lavender and violet stripped tie. He slipped into his white loafers and then thought for a minute as he stood in front of the large bedroom mirror.

"Kazuya," Lee asked. Kazuya was still asleep. "Kazuya?"

"Yeah?" Kazuya asked.

"Do you still have my Glock?"

"Yes… but whatever you're thinking about isn't a good idea."

"I'm not thinking about anything. It's for self defense," Lee argued.

"It's still a horrible idea. You know where his Glock is?"

"Upper right hand drawer."

"What do think you'll accomplish by bringing your gun?"

"Nothing… but I'll feel safer."

"That's asinine. If he wants to attack you, he won't do it himself. It'll either be those Tekken goons or Richard Williams or one of his ilk with a high powered rifle."

Lee pouted.

"Your gun is at the bottom of my sock drawer. As is your holster. It's still a really stupid idea," Kazuya stated with a yawn.

"Thanks for your support," Lee cracked, opening Kazuya's sock drawer and digging to the bottom.

After loading the gun, donning the holster, and determining the weapon was well concealed, Lee turned back towards the bed. He was going to tell Kazuya that he intended to go clothes shopping that afternoon, but it appeared that Kazuya had already fallen back asleep. He grabbed the keys to his silver Corvette Stingray from one of the hooks by Kazuya's door. He was not surprised to find his car incredibly well-maintained, but he was surprised to find that it merely smelled like a Hawaiian ashtray rather than a sweaty Hawaiian ashtray. Kazuya apparently hadn't been keeping his gym bag in the back seat and Lee appreciated that. However, he didn't appreciate that Kazuya had moved his seat. Lee adjusted the seat for five minutes before the positioning was remotely acceptable. He had a feeling that he'd have to spend about a half an hour to get the seat back to the perfect position… and it was very likely that he'd have to drive the car first to see what felt wrong about the way it was. Based on that theory, Lee began his drive to the Mishima Zaibatsu.

When Lee reached the Zaibatsu, he was pleased to find his old parking spot empty, albeit unlabeled, and parked there. Feigning confidence, Lee walked into the Zaibatsu with his heart racing and his stomach feeling tight and acidic. Lee approached the receptionist desk in middle of the beautiful, spacious foyer with a slight smile. The young lady behind the desk was clearly surprised to see him.

"Hello, Sayumi. If you could be so kind as to let Mr. Mishima know I've arrived and I'll be up directly," Lee stated, attempting to sound calm and confident.

"Of course, Mr. Chaolan," Sayumi replied, picking up the phone and pausing before she dialed. "It's good to see you again, Sir."

"Thank you. It's good to be seen," Lee flirted, winking at the girl. It was harmless fun. He had always done it. If he didn't do it now, it would seem like something was wrong. "While you have him on the phone, could you ask him if my badge will still work on the doors?"

"Certainly, Mr. Chaolan," Sayumi replied, dialing the phone. Lee listened to her inform Heihachi he had arrived and then ask about the badge. He heard her reply twice in the affirmative and thank him before hanging up the phone.

"He's ready for you. He says that your badge will work as it has in the past."

"Thank you, dear," Lee replied.

"My pleasure."

Lee breezed the rest of the way through the foyer, looking up through the expansive skylights. It was a beautiful day. Fluffy cumulus clouds drifted overhead and he could hear the soft bubbling of the centrally located Koi pond as he approached the elevators. He peered down at the Koi pond looking for the large black fish that Kazuya had named Elvis. Unable to catch a quick glimpse of the King, Lee kept walking and pressed the up button on the elevator. Much like the foyer, the elevator required no special clearance, but it had always amused Lee that there were literally no other places in the building that one could access without a badge. Without some level of clearance, it was merely an elevator ride to nowhere. When he had pointed out the engineering anomaly to Heihachi at the end of the first week of his first internship at the Zaibatsu, Heihachi had merely growled at him and he had just smirked back.

Lee pushed the button for the fiftieth floor and waited, his hands balled into fists at his side and his heart in his throat. He hoped he didn't look at nervous as he felt. He took a deep breath as he watched the floors click by. He smiled as he passed the thirty-seventh floor. He wondered if there were still binders on his desk. He supposed it was very likely he'd find out soon enough. Unless he and Heihachi had a close range gunfight and took each other out. Kazuya was right; bringing his Glock was stupid.

Lee took a deep breath as the elevator made a 'ding' noise and the doors opened. Lee took his badge out of his wallet and ran the keycard through the card reader and waited for the light to turn green. When it did, Lee punched in the six digit access code and door slide open, revealing a small reception area. Ayame looked up from the work on her desk and smiled broadly.

"Mr. Chaolan. It's wonderful to see you," Ayame greeted him warmly.

"Likewise, Ayame. Is that an engagement ring?" Lee asked, spotting a modest diamond on her dainty left hand.

"Yes," Ayame confirmed with a smile.

"Well, congratulations… can I see?" Lee asked. Ayame extended her hand to Lee and Lee took it, examining the ring thoroughly. It was nothing special and if it had indeed cost two months of her fiancé's salary, it arguably didn't bode well for their future financial stability, but Lee 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed as appropriate.

"I've had the ring for four months now and your father still hasn't said a word. I don't even think he's even noticed. Your brother did a pretty good job- it only took him about a week."

Lee smiled politely. Heihachi wasn't his father and Kazuya wasn't his brother. Furthermore, there was no question in his mind that Heihachi had noticed her engagement ring the day it had appeared. He simply didn't care. The fact that it took Kazuya a week to notice… well, that was par for the course.

"That sounds like them. Could you call in and see if he's ready?" Lee asked, still smiling. He felt like he might vomit.

"Of course," Ayame replied, picking up the phone and pressing a few buttons and then waiting. "Mr. Mishima, are you ready to speak with Mr. Chaolan? Very good, Sir. I'll send him in at once," Ayame stated and then turned to Lee with a smile, "He's ready for you."

"Thank you," Lee said, smiling back before walking to the office. His smile completely faded as he reached for the doorknob.

"When you had the first girl tell me you were coming up, you didn't have to have the second girl call and ask if you could come in. I assumed that is what you would be doing," Heihachi stated. He was behind his large mahogany desk, using a hand gripper with his right hand- yet another quirky thing that Heihachi did during his work-place interactions.

"I wanted to make sure you were ready; you could have gotten a phone call or something," Lee replied, sitting in the chair in front of Heihachi's desk. He felt like he was in the principal's office. It was such a horrible arrangement, but clearly Heihachi had no intention of heading over to the round table on the other side of his spacious office. He merely leaned back and switched the gripper to his left hand.

"Speaking of phone calls, why didn't you call me when you arrived in Japan? I asked you to."

"I arrived last night at two in the morning."

Heihachi nodded.

"You're an absolute vision in white. And I took the liberty of changing the shipping address on your order from the beauty supply. I hadn't realized your hair color was called Silvery Moonlight. How fitting," Heihachi stated, staring Lee down. Lee stared back.

"Where did you change the address to?"

"Your brother's penthouse. You can change it, or not change it, as necessary," Heihachi replied.

Lee merely glowered at Heihachi. How could he have ever loved this man?

"Now… why did you choose to wear your gun to the meeting?" Heihachi asked, looking amused rather than concerned.

Lee pushed his hair back with his left hand. How did Heihachi always seem to know everything?

"For self defense. I know what happened to Kazuya. How did you know anyway?" Lee asked.

"You have a stiffer gait when you're packing," Heihachi replied.

Lee sighed and waited.

"I won't shoot you if you promise not to shoot me, but then who can vouch for that fellow across the way on the rooftop?" Heihachi asked, getting up suddenly and walking to the floor to ceiling windows and staring directly at a would-be assassin on the roof of the building across from the Zaibatsu.

"So what does this mean? If you're going to have me shot, just have him do. Don't be a prick about it," Lee said, trying to sound calm and confident. But all he could think of was what Kazuya had said about Richard Williams and the high powered rifle. His heart felt like it might explode.

"He's not one of mine. Perhaps we should call down to security and ask your brother," Heihachi hissed.

"Kazuya isn't here," Lee replied.

"He is. He arrived in the building shortly after you did and he went straight for security. No doubt watching this meeting on the monitor, waiting to see if he needs his hired gun."

"Well, I didn't tell him to do this," Lee stated, crossing his legs and pushing his hair back with his left hand. He didn't know whether he wanted to kiss Kazuya or box his ears for this stunt.

"I can see that," Heihachi stated, returning to his desk and sitting back down. He resumed working on his right hand with the gripper. "What did you want?"

"Whatever you did to him, I want you to reverse it," Lee replied, attempting to sound forceful.

"Impossible."

"If you do this, and promise never to harm him again, I'll come back to you. Just say the word and you can have me right now on the desk," Lee said, giving Heihachi a smoldering seductive look.

"While it's touching to know that you'd be willing to prostitute yourself for your brother's well-being, there is no way to reverse the procedure that was performed on Kazuya. At least, there's nothing in development for such a measure."

"If you agree to prioritize it," Lee began pointedly, but Heihachi merely laughed.

"I have no interest in such an offer at the current time."

Lee sighed and crossed his legs in the other direction.

"Do you still plan on returning to the Zaibatsu?"

"Yes."

"And your brother- does he plan to return?"

"I can't speak for Kazuya."

"How _is _he?" Heihachi asked, unable to keep from flashing an evil smile.

"You're a fucking bastard," Lee replied, locking eyes with Heihachi.

Heihachi just laughed again.

"That bad? You know, I am your boss. A little respect is in order. Incidentally, I've been thinking of hosting a tournament. Do you think your bucket-headed friend would be interested in participating?" Heihachi asked.

Lee merely stared, flabbergasted that Heihachi could simply move on to such a relatively unimportant subject after abruptly dismissing a subject of such gravity.

"Well?" Heihachi asked, switching the gripper back to his left hand.

"He would be," Lee affirmed.

"Good. I thought as much. Resume your training as soon as possible; details to follow," Heihachi stated.

Lee sighed. He supposed it wouldn't do any good to say he was no longer interested in competing in tournaments.

"Pass the message along to your brother."

"Fine. If that's all, I'll be back to begin work tomorrow."

"I'll see you then… well, assuming Kazuya's assassin doesn't decide otherwise."

"Maybe he's not Kazuya's and you're really fucked," Lee stated, with a small shrug.

"I sincerely doubt it, but I suppose one never knows," Heihachi replied.

Lee stood up and walked to the door of Heihachi's office. He was about to leave when Heihachi began to speak.

"Just to warn you, if I find that time and resources that have been allocated for other research are being diverted to unnecessary side projects, there will be serious repercussions. In other words, you will not be spending the company's time and money on reversing Kazuya's condition. Is that clear?" Heihachi asked.

"Quite," Lee sneered, letting himself out of the office. Lee was glad that Ayame was on the phone when he left so he only had to wave at her and give her a forced smile before heading to the elevator. In the elevator he leaned against the wall and attempted to regroup. He had never been so angry or confused in his whole life. How could Heihachi have done this to his own son? And why did Kazuya have an assassin on the roof across the way? Apparently Kazuya hadn't been confident in his ability to handle the situation. Or maybe he really wanted Heihachi dead. He couldn't tell at this point. Maybe he should have just gone into hiding.

When Lee stepped out of the elevator, he found Kazuya sitting on the edge of the Koi pond. He was wearing his black and red motorcycle jacket and black leather pants. It had been one of his most flattering outfits, but now it hung on his suddenly much thinner frame.

"Elvis says you didn't say 'hi' earlier. For shame," Kazuya chided, attempting to joke in that strange, cold voice.

"I actually looked for him, but I didn't see him earlier. What the fuck are you doing here?" Lee asked.

"You had me at Glock."

Lee pouted and jammed his hands in his pockets. Kazuya definitely didn't think he could handle it.

"You can pout all you want, but I'm trying to protect you. I was pretty angry and completely disgusted by what you planned to do here this morning, but the mistake was yours to make and I had a feeling that he'd reject you. Then you'd come back angry, determined, and a little surprised and I would just forgive you then. BUT when you started with all this macho 'Where's my gun?' crap, I figured I better just forgive you early and protect your ass," Kazuya stated.

Lee continued to pout. He wasn't a baby or a woman or something. He was capable of protecting himself.

"We better get out of here. Between you not having been here for about a year and me not being here for a week and then showing up looking like this, we've been getting a lot of looks. Also, it doesn't help that you're acting like a teenage girl."

Lee pushed his hair back with his left hand.

"Especially when you do that," Kazuya stated, getting up from the lip of the fountain, "Let's go to your car."

"Fine," Lee replied, noticing that all eyes did seem to be on them as they made their exit from the foyer. Lee said nothing on his way out. He was done being friendly.

Once in Lee's Corvette, Kazuya sat down on the passenger side and leaned his head back. He looked pale and exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked.

"Yeah… just tired. But why is it such a bad thing that I have your back? After I was right about my father and after what he did to me, I still have your back. Why is that bad?" Kazuya asked, turning to face Lee without picking his head up from the back of the seat.

"It's not. I just didn't like the implication that I can't handle things… and the sniper. I wish you had told me you were going to do that."

"Well, everything happened so fast. Making sure you were covered was my top priority."  
"You should get a better sniper; Heihachi saw him."

"He was supposed to see him. He needs to know that I'm not dicking around. If it comes

down to me and him, I'll kill him. If it comes down to you and him, I'll kill him."

Lee winced. It bothered him to hear Kazuya talk like that. It also bothered him that Kazuya apparently had his own assassin on retainer. What else had Kazuya been keeping from him?

"If you're going to fight me and second guess me every step of the way, this isn't going to work and you might as well go into hiding somewhere and wait for one of us to take the other out. I'm sure that the victor will find a place for you."

"You know what? Fuck you. I was doing it for you. I love you that much. Does that register?" Lee asked, grabbing his cigarettes from his pocket and rolling down the window slightly.

"Yes," Kazuya replied in that strange hollow voice, looking forward, apparently uncomfortable. "I appreciate it, but with all due respect, I was right about my father and you were wrong. I am asking for your complete cooperation. With it, I think you and I have a pretty good chance of coming out on top. Without it, you're a liability and I'd prefer you go somewhere and be safe. That means no more Rambo shit like this morning."

Lee pouted and smoked his cigarette. He wasn't sure he was interested in cooperation. He stared ahead. Maybe it would be better if he just cut his losses and left.

"You know, when I thought I was dying, I thought about all kinds of stuff. Training, tournaments, school, food, my father, Anna. And you. You more than anything. All the good times we've had and some of the not so good stuff. And I know that Dick will protect Anna and Nina, but I told myself that I needed to be there to protect you. Not because you're weak or foolish, but because… I love you. When I sent you away, I was trying to protect you. I was trying to approach this rationally… and it was easy at first; I think because of whatever they did to me. But when I wrote that letter and I got to the end… I just wanted to tear it up and write another one begging you to come back. But then I thought, how can you be so selfish? And I sent the one I wrote. And then you showed up and I was… relieved. Like you knew how much I needed you. But I can't have you here is if you're going to be reckless and not think things through. It's not worth the risk."

Lee looked at Kazuya. In spite of whatever Heihachi had done to him, he was still Kazuya. Kazuya loved him and wanted to protect him. That was the bottom line. He couldn't walk away from him just because he was insulted. And Kazuya was right anyway. He shouldn't have brought the gun. He had realized that before he even knew that Kazuya was in the building or that he had a sniper on the roof of the building across the street. Lee sighed and tossed his cigarette butt out the window.

"So, do you still want me to call Richard Williams?"

"No… I can now. But I appreciate your compliance."

"Do they make a greeting card for that?"

"No, but they should. Are we good?" Kazuya asked, looking at him.

"Yes. I'm sorry," Lee replied quietly.

"It's fine. It occurs to me that you may not be thinking clearly… that you're upset," Kazuya stated.

Lee just stared back. That was the understatement of the year.

"You can't get like that. You've got to play it cool. Like _West Side Story_," Kazuya said, and then snapped his fingers twice, close to Lee's face.

Lee smirked.

"Love you. You're my best friend. But if you ever do that again, you're looking at some broken fingers," Lee stated.

"You're the only gay guy ever that doesn't like _West Side Story_."

"Maybe," Lee agreed. He didn't know very many gay guys, but he didn't like _West Side Story_.

"So. What's next on the agenda?" Kazuya asked, clapping his hands on his knees.

"I'm going clothes shopping. I have to; it's unavoidable," Lee replied, wishing it wasn't necessary. He didn't know how comfortable he felt leaving Kazuya at home by himself all afternoon. He clearly wasn't doing well.

"Give me an hour or so to take a nap and then I'll go with you. I need to start building back up."

"Alright. Are you okay to drive home on your bike?"

"Yeah… I'm fine."

"Ok. And Heihachi is talking about holding this tournament. He told me to tell you."

"This is something we're going to have to discuss. Did he tell you when?"

"No. He said details to follow. He did ask me if Paul Phoenix would be interested. He even referred to him as my 'bucket-headed friend'."

"It was the only thing we could all agree on."

"Maybe so."

"We'll talk more about the tournament some other time. Let's get home and have that nap," Kazuya said.

"Are you sure you want to take your bike? We can switch or we could get your bike later."

"I'm fine and if you think I'm letting you drive my bike, you're insane. I'm trying to protect you. To that end, letting you on a motorcycle would be extremely counterproductive."

Lee rolled his eyes. Apparently he still wasn't over the time that he had seen him pass two cars by driving between them doing ninety on a two lane highway.

"Don't give me that look- you're lucky I let you drive at all. You know, if things don't work out for you as a scientist, you could always become a stunt driver or you could drive getaway cars."

"I would say 'thank you,' but I'm assuming it's not meant as a compliment."

"No. Just potential career advice," Kazuya said, grabbing the door handle. Lee winced as watched Kazuya get out of the car like an old man.

But as promised, after his nap, Kazuya went shopping with him. A week after that Kazuya decided to return to work. A week after that, Lee decided it was time to ask Kazuya if he wanted him to move out. After serving a dinner of skewered teriyaki chicken and stir-fried vegetables, Lee sat down at the table across from Kazuya.

"Thanks for cooking. You know, you don't have to cook all the time. We could go out."

"Yeah… Kazuya, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want me to move out? You seem a lot better now and I don't want to impose."

Kazuya laughed. Lee fought back a cringe. He still wasn't used to the way Kazuya laughed now.

"What?"

"How are you imposing? You've been incredible."

Lee smiled and looked down. He took a sip of his Corona.

"I have been thinking, though, that you might be lonely. That I'm not necessarily good company for you given my condition and that you… well, you know," Kazuya said, attempting to refer vaguely to whatever Lee's sexual needs might be.

"No… it's not that. I'm fine. I just don't want to wear out my welcome or prevent you from anything you might want to pursue."

"You're not wearing out your welcome. And the other thing is not an issue. I don't miss it at all," Kazuya stated, taking a bite of the chicken. "Do you want your own bedroom? Would that make this more comfortable for you?"

Lee hesitated a moment. He was offering to leave in order to give Kazuya his space, but it sounded like Kazuya didn't want that.

"Kazuya, do you want me to leave?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"I want you to do what you want to do."

"Would you miss me if I left?"

Now Kazuya hesitated. He appeared to be having difficulty with the question.

"If I stayed, would _you_ be more comfortable if I had my own bedroom?" Lee asked, letting the other question remain unanswered.

"No, but I understand that you're still a real boy," Kazuya replied coyly.

"With some serious hang-ups that we've never discussed. I won't be picking up strangers. I have no desire to. It's not something you have to worry about me wanting to do," Lee stated flatly, color rising to his cheeks. He had never verbalized that before and merely broaching the subject had been every bit as difficult as he imagined. He took a sip of his beer and looked down.

"This is about the stuff that happened to you before my father adopted you, isn't it?" Kazuya asked.

Lee nodded, continuing to look down. Kazuya reached across the table and took Lee's hand. Though such gestures didn't feel shaky or tentative any longer, they still felt unnatural and somewhat forced. However, he knew Kazuya was doing his best and he appreciated it.

"Well, we're just damaged, but… I want you here as long as you want to be here, okay?" Kazuya asked.

Lee nodded again, still looking down.

"Plus, you're really spoiling me with this cooking."

Lee just smiled, looking up at Kazuya.

"I ordered your car. It should be here next week," Kazuya told him.

"You didn't have to."

"A deal's a deal. You're back and I bought you the car."

As Kazuya got into the car, Lee looked at him expectantly. He wondered what the excuse would be today.

"My hair was doing this thing," Kazuya explained.

Lee just smiled and nodded.

"Well, seeing as you're driving, we might make up the seven minutes anyway," Kazuya teased, as he put on his seatbelt.

Lee rolled his eyes and carefully pulled out of the traffic circle. As they drove, Kazuya stared intently into the rearview mirror.

"Three cars back."

Lee looked up. Kazuya was right. This investigator was nowhere near as crafty as the one in New York had been.

"Should I pretend to go down on you?" Kazuya asked, grinning wickedly.

"No! Behave yourself," Lee demanded.

"Can I wave to him?" Kazuya asked.

"No… don't," Lee replied.

"You're no fun."

"I know. I don't know why he's still having us investigated."

"I think I do; to see how messed up I am. He keeps asking me how I am. I keep telling him that I'm super. It's driving him nuts."

"I'll bet," Lee replied. He had been attempting to keep his distance from Heihachi and overall he had been pretty successful.

"Yeah. Training after work tonight. We've got to start training before work, too," Kazuya stated.

Lee rolled his eyes and shook his head. He didn't want to do the stupid tournament.

"We talked about this."

"I know. I'll do it. Whatever," Lee replied.

"Look. There's a couple of things you need to know. When I talked to Richard initially, he told me to break up with Anna, that it was the easiest way. Cruel to be kind, you know? It made a lot of sense. So, I did."

"Ok. And?" Lee asked, angry that Kazuya hadn't decided to share this with him earlier.

"And I talked to Dick again yesterday. Heihachi called him about the tournament. He said things might seem off if he didn't let Anna and Nina participate, so it's likely that they will."

Lee nodded.

"I can't have any distractions. You keep them safe and away from me," Kazuya stated.

"Fine, but why didn't you tell me about you and Anna?"

"It didn't seem important. Watch your speed," Kazuya chastised as they broke ninety miles per hour.

Lee let off the gas and then signaled as he darted across two lanes of traffic to make the exit for the Industrial Park.

"Sorry… I really didn't think it mattered. It didn't until this development anyway," Kazuya replied.

"I guess it didn't, but I still wish you had told me."

"Ok. Noted. I've got a pimple on my right ass cheek. Just thought you should know."

"Thanks. I appreciate the update."

"I'll let you know if it pops."

"Again, I appreciate it."

"You are so welcome."

"Hopefully it doesn't happen at work; I'm not sure you'd know how to call down to the lab to tell me," Lee said, smirking as he pulled into his parking spot. The reserved parking spot sign had been returned there by his first official day of work.

"I do. Maybe I'll even use the intercom. Let your whole staff know."

"Oh boy."

"Yeah. So lunch today?"

"Sure. I'll come up to your office at 12:15," Lee replied, turning the car off.

"Cool. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

"I'm not. Just tell me stuff from now on, okay."

"Sure thing," Kazuya replied.

Upon reaching the building, Kazuya opened the door for Lee. Lee nodded his thanks and walked the length of the foyer at Kazuya's side. Even though he had gained back the weight he had lost when he was violently ill, people still stared. He was perceptibly different. He no longer smiled, waved, or nodded to employees as he passed by. He didn't look for Elvis in the Koi pond. He instead proceeded straight for the elevator with those cold, strange eyes staring straight ahead.


	13. October 1986

October 1986

When Lee entered his personal dressing room for the King of the Iron Fist Tournament, he immediately felt his blood pressure climb as he caught a glimpse of two dozen white roses on the dresser in front of the mirror. This time there was a card. Lee grabbed it angrily and read it.

'Best of luck. Thinking of you always, but today especially. Heihachi'

Fucking bastard, Lee thought, jamming the card into his pocket in response to a knock at the door. It better not be him.

"Who is it?" Lee demanded.

"Me. Can I come in?"

"Yes," Lee replied, opening the door for Kazuya and then shutting it and locking it behind him.

"Something wrong?" Kazuya asked, looking around the room eyes settling on the flowers before Lee said anything.

"Your father remembered our anniversary," Lee replied bitterly. He didn't even want to tell Kazuya about the card.

"Don't worry about it. He's just trying to get into your head; don't let him," Kazuya instructed calmly, picking up the vase and turning towards the wall opposite of the dresser and the large mirror. Kazuya turned to Lee, flashing him his cold, evil grin, "Stand back."

Lee took a step back as Kazuya hurled the vase hard against the wall, causing it to shatter. Lavender tinted glass pieces hit the ground as the roses fell lightly onto the now wet floor. Wiping his face with his sleeve, Kazuya turned back to Lee.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Never better," Lee replied sarcastically, pushing his hair back with his left hand and looking at the carnage. He wondered who had been assigned the dressing room on the right and whether or not he or she had checked in yet.

"Don't let stupid shit like this throw you. Don't. I understand your apprehension, but we've prepared for this. This is everything we've worked for since July. So he's a fucking creep. We knew that," Kazuya stated, scanning the room again quickly. "Is there anything you need here?"

"No," Lee replied, eyeing his rolling suitcase and noticing that it had been splattered with water as a result of Kazuya's demonstration.

"Good. Let's go to my dressing room. Leave the door open behind you," Kazuya instructed.

"Are you sure-"

"Yes," Kazuya replied, picking up Lee's suitcase as he proceeded towards the door.

Lee took a deep breath and followed Kazuya. This tournament promised to be deeply unpleasant. Heart in his throat, Lee walked behind Kazuya to his dressing room and then waited while he unlocked the door. He noticed that Anna's dressing room happened to be across from Kazuya's and that Nina's dressing room was to the right of hers.

"Kazuya, maybe we should just clean up the flowers. Then you can have my dressing room and I'll take yours. In accordance to our plan, perhaps that would be the best thing to do," Lee suggested, thinking that this dressing room would better allow him to keep an eye on Anna and Nina while also putting some distance between Kazuya and the girls.

"We'll keep both dressing rooms to use as needed, but we're going to wait for a cleaning crew to notice your dressing room and take care of it. You're next to Bucket Head and across from Law, Heihachi's on your other side- dammit. Your left side. I should have put those flowers through the fucking mirror," Kazuya stated.

"I don't think it matters, Kazuya," Lee said quietly, sitting down on the leather couch and leaning his head back.

"If he had been in there it would have been effective," Kazuya argued.

Lee only sighed. Kazuya had become Ahab and Heihachi was his white whale. Lee had learned that there was nothing he could do to diminish the intensity of the pursuit. Following Kazuya's instructions to a T was the only thing that Lee could do that wouldn't result in Kazuya directing a profusion of barbs, scorn, and exasperation at him. It was pointless to argue in most cases, so he wasn't going to. Kazuya sat down beside him, placing a firm hand on Lee's shoulder.

"You've done so well, Lee. I know this must be difficult for you, but we're so close," Kazuya told him, squeezing his shoulder once in a pathetic attempt to feign compassion. In the months since he had been attacked, Kazuya had gotten better at initiating and receiving casual physical contact. He had also gotten better at making sympathetic statements. He had created a façade of humanity convincing enough to apparently satisfy most of the people he came into contact with. Lee often felt like he was alone in noticing and caring what had happened to Kazuya… what was happening to Kazuya. Worst of all, it seemed that Kazuya no longer cared.

A little over a month ago, Lee had sat in his lab pouring over some graphs when Kazuya had walked in with two cups of coffee.

"You startled me."

"I can see that. Do you know what time it is?" Kazuya asked, setting down one of the cups of coffee in front of Lee.

"No," Lee admitted, before thanking Kazuya for the coffee.

"Quarter to midnight. On a Friday. What are you doing? I'm sure it can wait."

"I'm looking at these graphs showing the changes in your blood work. This purple line on this graph represents the concentration of the-"

"Lee. It's entirely too late for this tonight; perhaps you've been working too hard on this. I'm concerned that you're going to burn out."

"No, no, I'm fine," Lee insisted, dismissively waving his hand. Kazuya shot a quick hand forward to move the coffee so Lee wouldn't spill it.

"Your eyes are bloodshot."

"I'm a little tired, but I feel like I'm making some good progress… if I can just isolate-"

"STOP," Kazuya stated firmly, and then continued, "Listen. I've been thinking about the tournament and my condition, and I've decided that for now, it might be best to stop trying to reverse my condition. I think we should use it to our advantage at the tournament."

"To our advantage? You're kidding, right? This thing is a virus that is causing rapid gene mutation. There's nothing good about it and the sooner we can stop it, the better things will be. There might be some irreversible effects, but if we stop it on time, we may be able to minimize them."

"Understood, _but_ the increase in strength that I've experienced is nothing short of amazing. I can't risk losing it before the tournament."

"That fucking tournament? You're telling me that you want me to stop attempting to stop a degenerative disease from attacking your body so that you can win a fucking tournament? You know, you can't spend a billion dollars if you're dead," Lee pointed out. Additionally, in all of their training together, Lee had noticed an 'amazing' increase in Kazuya's strength. To Lee's reckoning, there had had been a marginal increase that could have been explained by their extremely heavy training schedule.

"It's only a month. After the tournament, you can continue your work. I doubt I'll die in the interim. If it appears that things are progressing more rapidly, then I'll withdraw from the tournament for medical reasons and you can continue your work immediately."

"So you'll allow for continued testing?"

"Yes… once a week, you can draw some blood or whatever, but I don't want you here till midnight or on the weekends. Between this, your job, and training, you have no time for yourself and I can help but worry about you."

Lee pushed his hair back with his left hand. He doubted Kazuya was worried about _him_. More likely Kazuya was concerned about him being able to hold up his end of the bargain at the blasted tournament.

"Don't look at me like that. This is in your best interest. Our best interest. Now, let's get out of here. Let me take you out for a drink and maybe we won't train tomorrow morning. Maybe you can catch up on sleep and we can talk more about this tomorrow," Kazuya suggested.

Lee sighed. What could he say? He had agreed to let Kazuya make the decisions. He had promised compliance.

"Fine, Kazuya," Lee replied, putting his graphs back in his binder and then putting the binder into his leather satchel. The fewer materials concerned with Kazuya's case that he stored at the Zaibatsu the better.

"Good. I'm hungry. Would you mind terribly if we went somewhere that I could get a steak? I was training from the time I got out of work until about an hour ago. I thought you had forgotten to call me. I never dreamed that you were still working until I saw the light was still on in your lab."

"No, that's fine," Lee replied, recalling the days when he stopped drinking in order to prepare for tournaments. It was no longer a luxury he could afford to give up.

"Lee, did you want to go over it one last time?" Kazuya asked, nudging Lee's arm.

"No, Kazuya… I think it would be too hard to get away and I think it will look better- more spontaneous, that is, if we don't practice for the duration of the tournament," Lee explained, looking around the room, hoping to spot an ashtray.

Kazuya wordlessly got up, unzipped the front pocket of his suitcase and pulled out a plastic grocery bag with an ashtray in it and handed it to Lee.

"Thank you."

Kazuya just nodded, sitting back down next to Lee.

"If something goes wrong and you have to fight him, do you have a strategy?" Kazuya asked.

"No, Kazuya," Lee replied, taking a drag on his cigarette. If that particular scenario arose, he would be fucked and no amount of strategizing would help.

"Sweep the leg," Kazuya advised, smiling and raising his eyebrows at Lee.

"Sweep the leg? Oh, the fucking _Karate Kid_? Dammit, Kazuya," Lee said, unable to keep himself from smiling. Moments like this were becoming increasingly rare and fleeting. In truth, he was beginning to hate them. They reminded him of what he had lost.

Kazuya laughed, his eyes radiating warmth for a moment and his touch light on Lee's bicep.

"Seriously, though," Kazuya began, the warmth leaving his eyes instantly and his hands returning to his lap, "If you find yourself fighting him, something has gone wrong, but you're young and fast. Use it to your advantage. Dodge for as long as you can. Attack when you're sure. But if it gets to that point, don't worry about it. It won't matter. I think he'll fight you clean and we'll just resume work on reversing my condition. Like the tournament never happened."

Except that we've lost a month, Lee thought, silently smoking his cigarette. It wasn't worth pointing out to Kazuya.

"For the record, I appreciate what you're doing. I know that as a fighter, what I'm asking you to do must be difficult," Kazuya said in a low voice, leaning close to Lee. Lee felt his warmth. He could smell his cologne. Lee crossed his legs, embarrassed. He wondered if Kazuya was aware of what he was doing to him. Lee put out his cigarette.

"It's the logical approach. It's the almost certain outcome without the risk of injury," Lee responded quietly, flustered.

"Still. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So, for the party tonight," Kazuya began.

Lee sighed loudly.

"What now?"

"Do we have to go to the party? I think Heihachi will have a pretty good idea why we're not there."

"Leaving the perfect opportunity for something to happen to Anna and Nina."

"Unless they're with us."

"And we're all conspicuously absent from the party. No, it's better to stare the old bastard down and show him we're not afraid to meet him on his own turf. Trust me. It's the impression we want to make."

Lee raised his eyebrows at Kazuya. He didn't see how it could make any difference at this point.

"And then there's the show for everybody else. Our famous dysfunctional family unity. Anyone who knows us will know what to expect. That includes the Williams girls, Bucket Head, and Wang Jinrey for sure. Maybe some others."

"Kazuya, if you end up interacting with Anna and Nina for any length of time, either one of those girls will be able to see that something is very wrong," Lee said.

"Which is why you'll keep them away from me. This is another reason why the party is a much better option than a group outing. We're able to keep an eye on them without either of them spending hardly any time with me."

"When you broke up with Anna, what reason did you give her?" Lee asked.

"I said that the long distance thing wasn't going to work for me. That I'd thought it over and it wasn't fair to either of us," Kazuya replied.

"She's not going to let it drop, you know. She's going to want to talk to you. Probably alone," Lee said.

"And it's your job to see that doesn't happen," Kazuya told him.

"Easier said than done. Hell hath no fury," Lee stated, crossing his legs the other way.

"Man, sometimes you have these moments and I can't help but wonder how the Hell Nina ever deluded herself into thinking you were straight," Kazuya teased with a slight smile.

Lee sighed yet again and uncrossed his legs.

"Well, when she corners you at the party demanding to know what happened and there's nothing I can do about because Nina and Bucket Head are both following me around like I'm a mother duck, have fun with that."

"Mother duck? Seriously?"

"Yeah… they both have that tendency."

"Why not lost puppies?"

"Following a duck?

"No. Why not make them lost puppies and you just yourself. Why make yourself a mother duck?"

"You know what? Shut up," Lee said.

"Whatever you say, Mother Duck."

"You know what? Fuck you," Lee replied.

"You wish, Chaolan."

Lee just shrugged. At times like this, he did wish.

"I just want you to know, I appreciate everything you're doing," Kazuya reiterated, suddenly serious, locking eyes with Lee. "Your loyalty isn't being taken lightly. Assuming things go as I hope, as they should, you'll be handsomely rewarded. I want you to know that."

Lee just nodded, unsure what to make of the statement.

"Well, it's almost noon. Let's go get the lay of the land. See what was done about your dressing room," Kazuya suggested, getting up from the couch. Lee nodded and followed Kazuya. He didn't feel remotely ready for this.

Nina wandered across the lawn of the Mishima Compound quietly in the moonlight. Her purple high heeled strappy sandals in her right hand. She supposed she ought to put on her shoes before she went back into the party, but they hurt. Anna said they were supposed to, but it was really almost unbearable. She examined the backs of her heels and saw that the straps had removed a layer of skin. Nina contemplated hucking the shoes into a nearby bush, but she supposed that probably wasn't a good idea.

As Nina approached the house, she saw Lee was standing outside near the pool area smoking a cigarette. He was wearing his tuxedo and he looked amazing. She wondered if she would ever stop being attracted to him.

"Hey, Boyo," Nina said in a husky voice, catching Lee off guard.

"Hi. How are you?" Lee asked. He sounded stiff and nervous.

"Good," Nina replied, opening the gate to the pool area. Nina walked over to Lee, embraced him, and whispered in his ear, "I know what's happened. My father told me."

"You have no idea," Lee whispered back, squeezing her hard.

"We should go somewhere and talk about it."

"I can't… Bucket Head is watching your sister for me while I have a cigarette. I'm supposed to be keeping her away from Kazuya," Lee explained.

"His instructions?" Nina asked.

Lee nodded, taking a long drag on his cigarette.

"You look very pretty," Lee told her, and then looked at her shoes in her hand, "New shoes?"

"Yeah. They're dreadful. You look good, too, by the way. Black tie has always suited you."

"Thanks. Where were you, anyway?"

"Down visiting Kuma. Why? Were you supposed to be watching me, too?"

"Yeah. Keeping you safe."

Nina laughed. She had a pearl handled revolver strapped to her right thigh and she knew enough to watch for Heihachi's goons. Her father had briefed her well for her trip to the tournament.

"I'm supposed to be watching Anna, too, but when I saw that you were, I decided to take a little break."

"Yeah… now we're both taking a break and Paul's supposed to be watching her. How long before she gives him the slip and goes off to find Kazuya?"

"Not that long… but maybe she deserves a better explanation than she got," Nina replied.

"Maybe. I knew she'd be after one anyway. I just- I can't be in there anymore right now," Lee explained, lighting a fresh cigarette with the old one. Nina raised her eyebrows. She hadn't seen him chain smoke since he was a teenager. It was weird.

"Are you okay? This all has to be really hard on you," Nina said.

In response, Lee shot her a look that told her that had been the entirely wrong thing to say.

"Sorry."

"No. I'm sorry. It's just… it's something that Kazuya has been saying a lot. That he knows that this or that has been hard on me and he's concerned about me or whatever and he's not. He's not. He's incapable," Lee explained.

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too."

"How bad is he?"

"Very. And he's getting worse, but he decided last month that instead of having me continue to try to reverse his condition that he'd use it to his advantage in the tournament. So, I'm losing him and now I'm the only one who cares," Lee replied, looking across the pool and out into the darkness.

"That's not true, Lee. I care. And Anna definitely would if she knew," Nina said.

"You know, in some ways I'm glad you know… it's been such a burden. It's nice to talk about it with somebody who shares my feeling of disgust. Heihachi's curious and Kazuya has started to embrace it. At first people were reacting to him differently, but everyone seems to have just gotten used to it. I'm getting used to it. I hate it, but I almost hate it more when I see him like he was. He has these moments where he's like he used to be. That's what hurts the most… wondering if _he's_ trapped inside of the thing he's become," Lee explained, continuing to refuse to make eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry, Lee. That's horrible," Nina replied. She didn't' know what else to say.

"And Heihachi sent me anniversary flowers and pinched my ass a few minutes ago, so there's that," Lee continued, with a sigh.

"He sent you flowers?"

"Yeah. To my dressing room. It would've been our tenth anniversary. Kazuya hurled them at the wall… it was interesting."

"Why? I mean that _is_ interesting, but why did he do it?"

"He doesn't want Heihachi mind fucking me during the tournament. Maybe he's worried that Heihachi's brain fuck fu is stronger and he'll lose control," Lee replied bitterly.

"Lee, if you really feel that way, maybe you should just get out. You could come back to Ireland with me. I adore Aiden, but he's not you," Nina confessed.

"And I adore you, but you're not Kazuya," Lee replied.

Nina's eyes widened. It wasn't really that surprising she supposed, but she hadn't seen it before somehow.

"Fair enough. But, Lee, did Kazuya ever… well, has he ever shown any interest?" Nina asked. That, she supposed, was the most confusing part.

"Sort of… it's complicated. Things happened in New York when he was there for my birthday. He told me to come back here. I don't know what his intentions were. And then this happened and he doesn't seem to be capable of those kinds of feelings and he doesn't get horny, but he doesn't want me to leave his side, either. Go figure."

"Wow. That's fucked. I'm sorry," Nina said, and then added, "Poor Anna."

"Poor Anna?" Lee asked incredulously, flinging his cigarette butt down to the bricks and scuffing it out violently.

"Yeah, Lee. I feel bad for her, too, okay? She really loved him. She's heartbroken as it is without knowing all this," Nina replied, wondering how Anna would take the news that Kazuya had not only been attacked and transformed, but that he also potentially had some sort of romantic attachment to his adopted brother. Yikes.

"I suppose. I'm sorry. It's hard to be sympathetic. I'm so tired and stressed. I'm so worried things won't go like they're supposed to and I'll be to blame."

"Given the circumstances, I'm offering my assistance and my services," Nina said pointedly.

Lee stared at her.

"My equipment is at my father's house. Just let me know."

"Is this happening?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. Free of charge, of course. First one's free," Nina joked.

"I think that's drugs- not hits," Lee replied. He still seemed floored by her offer.

"I know it hasn't been long, but I'm not the naïve kid that left New York," Nina told him.

"So you've joined the family business?"

"Yes… well, strictly speaking, yes."

"So, the IRA?" Lee asked.

Nina nodded.

"And Anna?"

"Has been working for my father. She's so stubborn. She doesn't understand, but it frees up my time, so I can't complain."

"So, non-IRA hits?"

"Yes, but nothing for Heihachi. My father's not taking anything from him given the situation."

"And does your father approve of your offer?" Lee asked.

"He doesn't approve or disapprove. He said he's confident I'll do the right thing."

"Which is?"

"What you need me to do," Nina replied.

"We need to walk back into the party and pretend this conversation never happened," Lee said.

"That's fine. Let's go have a drink and relieve Bucket Head of his babysitting duties," Nina replied, threading her left arm through Lee's right.

"Hell, she's probably gotten away by now, but the drink sounds essential," Lee said, taking the shoes from her right hand and throwing them into the pool. Nina giggled. There was no one else like Lee Chaolan.

Anna gave Bucket Head the slip as soon as Lee had slipped outside presumably to have a cigarette.

"Paul," Anna began, interrupting him in the middle of a long drawn out story about a brawl in a biker bar in Mobile, Alabama, wherever the hell that was.

"Yeah?"

"This isn't interesting, Sweetie," Anna replied, opening her fire engine red purse and utilizing the mirror on the flap to reapply her lipstick. The shade of her tight sleeveless, v-neck cocktail dress matched her purse and her shoes. Kazuya had always liked her in red.

"Oh, but I haven't gotten to the part yet where I got stitches and a tetanus shot."

Anna wished he hadn't bothered with the latter. Maybe he would've have gotten lockjaw and wouldn't have been able to tell such boring stories.

"I don't care about that. If you'll excuse me," Anna said, turning heel and walking away before waiting for an answer. It was bitchy, but she needed to find Kazuya. Of course, she had seen him continually while Nina and Lee had been by with her, no doubt tasked with keeping her busy. The moment that Bucket Head swooped in and Lee went outside, Kazuya had disappeared. Anna scanned the party quickly before ascending the staircase. She thought she had seen him go up the stairs, but it was hard to see around Bucket Head's buckety hair.

"Kazuya?" Anna called, walking through the dimly lit hallway. She called his name again and waited. When she approached his old bedroom and saw light under the crack of the door, she smiled and knocked on the door. "Kazuya?"

No answer.

"Kazuya?"

No answer.

Anna rolled her eyes and tried the door knob. It was unlocked. When she opened the door, she found Kazuya lying on his old bed, looking at her as she entered. He was wearing a black suit with a red dress shirt and a black tie. Even though he was on bed, he was still wearing his black dress shoes. When she saw him, the pit of her stomach felt tight and her heart beat fast. Something was very wrong. He looked at her with a stranger's eyes and offered a cold smile.

"You found me. Now you hide," Kazuya suggested.

"Kazuya," Anna began.

"Anna."

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing," Kazuya replied casually.

"Kazuya."

"I'm sorry. Really nothing."

"Why did you really break up with me? When I left for Ireland, you implied that you wanted to marry me and then a week later you call me, sounding completely bizarre, and you tell me that we need to break up because you can't handle being in a long distance relationship. What the fuck is going on? Anna demanded, hands on her hips. She was determined to get to the bottom of this.

"The truth?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes! You bloody well better tell me the truth!"

"Right after you left, Lee came back to Japan. We've been together ever since. I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt you," Kazuya apologized.

"Seriously?" Anna asked.

"Yeah… when you acted like what happened between Lee and I was no big deal when I came back to Japan, I was freaking out the whole time. It was a big deal. I was hoping then that I could just avoid him and the feelings would go away, but when he said he was coming back- that he couldn't live without me, well, I couldn't hide anymore. I'm sorry. I should have told you the truth."

"Kazuya, you _should_ tell me the truth. This is a bunch of malarkey. Don't insult my intelligence by telling me some flimsy story about you being a gay while it's clear that there's something wrong with you and that's not it," Anna demanded.

Kazuya sighed and shook his head.

"He said you wouldn't be able to handle this. I guess he was right," Kazuya said.

"Kazuya, just stop!" Anna screeched, kicking off her shoes violently and getting on top of him. She ran her hand over his crotch and kissed him violently on the lips. When Kazuya forcefully lifted her off him and gently placed her on his left side, she looked over at him.

"I'm so sorry for leading you on," Kazuya apologized, patting her arm awkwardly.

"Seriously?" Anna demanded, looking at Kazuya.

"Yes," Kazuya replied firmly.

Anna got up, put on her shoes and stormed out of the room and down the stairs. She saw her sister and Lee talking near the bar. She walked over to them.

"What happened to you?" Nina asked.

"Nothing… why?"

"Your lipstick is all smudged," Lee replied.

Anna scowled at Lee. She knew it wasn't true, but she was still angry.

"Can I have a sip of your drink, Sis?" Anna asked.

Nina nodded and passed over her whiskey sour.

"Ya know, I'm pretty sure you deserve this," Anna declared, throwing Nina's drink in Lee's face.

"Anna!" Nina scolded.

"Seriously, what the fuck?" Lee asked, wiping his face with his sleeve.

"Nina, let's go," Anna demanded, storming out of the front door. Typically she would have sought out Heihachi and thanked him for inviting her to the party, but as it was she was too angry to give a flying fuck.

"Hey!"

Anna turned around. Kazuya was on the balcony outside of his father's room. She could see his face, but he sounded different. Like he always had.

"You're right… it's bullshit. I really am sorry," Kazuya called in a hoarse voice.

"Tell Lee _I'm _sorry. Anyway, why can't you tell me what's going on?"

"I can't. You just have to trust me. What did you do to Lee?"

"Threw a drink on him."

"Real classy."

"Yeah… I miss you, Sweetie."

"There are times like this that I'd give anything to have things the way they were."

"Why can't they be?

"They just can't. Maybe someday I can explain it to you. I will if I can. I promise."

"Oi! What are you two doing? Reciting Shakespeare?" Nina teased, looking from Kazuya on the balcony to Anna on the lawn.

"Ugh. Not at all. What happened to your shoes?" Anna asked, noticing that Nina was wearing an old pair of flats that she hadn't see since three summers ago. The eggplant colored shoes clashed horribly with her violet colored dress.

"There was an accident," Nina stated with a shrug.

"Did your gay friend support this choice? Maybe he's unclear about his duties," Anna teased.

"Or maybe he was too pissed about somebody throwing a drink on him to help color coordinate. One of the cherries fell in his shoe. You've never heard such dramatics. You should apologize tomorrow."

"Maybe," Anna replied, looking back up to the balcony wistfully. He was already gone.

"Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Anna admitted.

"And so the converse is true. You've been worse," Nina replied.

"I suppose so. Where the fuck is the valet? I'm not going back inside."

"Hiding on the other side of the garage, smoking a cigarette. Just be patient, okay?"

"Whatever," Anna replied, putting her fingers in her mouth and producing a loud whistle that caused the valet to peer around the garage and spring into action.

"Well, that was effective," Nina commented, watching the valet bring around Anna's red Mercedes Benz.

"Yeah."

"Listen. On the way home I'll tell you what I know about things- what I know from Dad and Lee. It's not fair that you haven't gotten better answers."

"It's not fair that Daddy knew what was going on and told you and not me! He wasn't your boyfriend! You don't love him!"

"I do love him. Not like you, but I do. Shush till we're in the car. I'll drive," Nina stated, nodding goodnight to the valet and tipping him.

Anna pouted as she got in on the passenger's side of the car.

"Dad told _me_ so I'd be vigilant. He's concerned about plots."

"Plots? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Kazuya was attacked on Heihachi's command and injected with some kind of virus. I didn't really get a chance to see him tonight, but I've heard the effects of attack are apparent and severe."

"Yeah. That makes more sense than what he tried to tell me."

"Why? What did he tell you?"

"That he and Lee were lovers."

"And that's why you threw my drink in Lee's face?"

"Yeah."

"Apologize."

"I might. Butcha know, he would if he could," Anna replied, and that was really starting to piss her off.

"Would if he could what?"

"Jump Kazuya's bones."

"Ok, but Kazuya's not interested."

"While he was in New York for Lee's birthday they made out and Lee wanked him off."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Well, from what Lee was saying, I don't think it matters anymore. Kazuya isn't interested. Period. Men. Women. House plants. Nada."

"Well, that makes sense, too. In the old days, he could never resist me."

"Alright, well, don't take it personally then."

"Fine. Do we know why Heihachi did this?" Anna asked.

"Ostensibly because Lee left him; he and Lee were lovers, but Heihachi was in love with Lee and Lee was in love with Kazuya,"

"Seesh. Take it to _Oprah_. They're making our family look good," Anna remarked, thinking about how their father had dealt with their cheating mother. She had gotten exactly what she deserved.

"Well, I don't know about that, but it's pretty fucked. Really, though, I think Heihachi would have found a reason to do this anyway even if Lee hadn't left him."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Anna replied.

"Well, Dad thinks so. You're being childish; knock it off."

"Who does Daddy blame?"

"Heihachi."

"Well, what's he gonna do about it?"

"Nothing; he's at home- with cancer," Nina replied, talking to her like she was five. She hated that.

"Well, something should be done."

"I offered, but Lee said no."

"Why should we listen to him?" Anna asked.

"Because I don't think he wants us to get involved and he's probably right. Heihachi Mishima is a dangerous man. You should stop flirting with him. Try to stay under his radar as much as possible," Nina instructed.

"Where do you get off talking to me like I'm five? I'm not stupid, you know. I think you should put a bullet between his eyes. Lee is the stupid one- treat him like a five year old!" Anna exclaimed.

"Lee isn't stupid- he's upset and he's stressed out. He feels like this is his fault and Kazuya asked him to stop looking for the cure or whatever to what's wrong with him, so he thinks he may have lost him for good."

"He's not the only one," Anna replied bitterly, thinking about Kazuya's empty promise to tell her the truth one day if he could. It was clear to her now that day would never come; Kazuya's request had insured that it wouldn't.

"It's not a contest, Anna. We all feel horrible."

Anna pouted as she looked out the window into the darkness. If it was a contest, she bet she would've won. She had never been so miserable in her life.

Watching from his private box on high in the arena, Heihachi Mishima found that his boys were doing what they typically did. Lee was wildly exceeding his expectations while Kazuya was performing marginally worse than he expected. It wasn't that Kazuya was doing badly, but it certainly wasn't what Heihachi had been expecting. He appeared to fight no better than he had before Operation Devil Gene had occurred. It was a disappointment.

On the first day of the tournament, Kazuya defeated Armor King with apparent ease, initially causing Heihachi to wonder what changes may have taken effect following the experiment. However, on the second day when he fought Anna Williams, he showed signs of struggling before pulling off a decisive victory. Heihachi growled as he watched them fight against the backdrop of a rather realistic depiction of Angkor Wat. They looked amateurish. Given Kazuya's rather underwhelming showing against such an inferior fighter, Heihachi couldn't help but wonder if his emotional state was impacting his abilities. If so, the Devil Gene would need tweaking. On the third day of the tournament, he nearly lost to Yoshimitsu. He had won the first round, lost the second, and then won the third by the skin of his teeth. All in all, Heihachi supposed he shouldn't be too disappointed. Kazuya hadn't lost any of the fights and these were supposed to be the world's best fighters. However, he had expected better.

In contrast, Lee had done exceptionally well in the tournament. Lee had easily trounced the Prototype of the Jack robot; he was just too fast. After watching Nina Williams also easily defeat Jack in her first bout, Heihachi supposed that the Soviet technology needed a lot of work. It was too bad that the Soviet scientists typically turned out to be spies and needed to be dealt with accordingly. It was also a shame that it was too risky for Lee to be involved in upgrading stolen Soviet equipment. He probably would have done a formidable job working out the bugs in the equipment. As it was, there was an entire department that would find themselves without employment on the following Monday. The Jacks weren't ready to compete in the tournament and he wished that the project leader had never lied and said they were. Maybe he'd promote the VEST people. In stark contrast to the Jack robots, VEST had been an absolute triumph.

Virtual Environment Systems Technology, or VEST, had been something that the Zaibatsu had been working on for the past five years. VEST provided astoundingly realistic backdrops for the fights and could feasibly be marketed as a technological innovation in décor in the near future and subsequently as home entertainment system sometime after that. Lee had worked on that project. He remembered the night he had approached Lee about working on that it.

"Hey, there's something that I want your input on," Heihachi had stated, pulling Lee onto his lap as he sat at the kitchen table, papers contain drawings of trees, flowers, and cubes strewn in front of him.

Lee smiled, wrapped his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

"Why are you working on a Friday night?" Lee asked, kissing him again, "Why are you trying to get _me_ to work on a Friday night?"

"You were out with your brother and this is something that will interest you and we don't have to talk about it long tonight. I was just thinking about the possibility of creating and subsequently marketing technology that can simulate artificial environments."

"Have you ever read 'The Veldt' by Ray Bradbury?" Lee asked.

"No. Why? What? Don't you like my idea?" Heihachi responded. It was always slightly maddening when Lee answered a question by asking a question.

"Sure. It's just a story where these kids have this virtual reality playroom and they become fixated on a simulation of the African veldt… short story shorter, lions eat the parents."

"That sounds asinine."

"It was. So why virtual reality?"

"I think there could be a market for it; it could be highly profitable if well executed."

"Of course, but I'm asking why you, Heihachi Mishima, were thinking about the simulation of artificial environments," Lee replied.

"It would be relaxing to meditate by a waterfall or in a forest."

"There's a forest on the Compound; I've never seen you meditate there," Lee pointed out.

"Precisely. I've tried, but the actual forest has too many unpredictable elements, for instance, the moisture level, the noises, the smells."

"Isn't that part of doing stuff in nature?" Lee asked with a smirk.

"I suppose," Heihachi replied, bristling from Lee's apparent lack of enthusiasm for his idea.

Lee kissed him again.

"I'll work on your project if you really want me to, but I'm not going to start meditating."

"Good. Now what do you think you'll need to get started?"

"Look, I need something from you, but it has nothing to do with your project," Lee replied, locking eyes with him before kissing him again.

"Alright, but first-"

"No. We can talk after," Lee interrupted.

Heihachi just smiled, picking Lee up easily as he stood, and then carried him up the stairs.

Afterwards, Lee walked back into the bedroom after smoking a cigarette on the balcony and got back into the bed. He rested his head on Heihachi's chest. Heihachi began stroke his hair gently.

"So… I was thinking VEST."

"What about vests?"

"Not the clothing items… it's an acronym I came up with. Virtual Environment Systems Technology. VEST," Lee explained.

"Good. Perhaps I should feel a little insulted, but still."

"I just thought of it a second ago on the balcony. Trust me; it was the furthest thing from my mind," Lee insisted.

"Well, good."

"Yeah… we can discuss your project in more depth tomorrow. It really is a wonderful idea. I'm excited about it now. Sorry I wasn't earlier."

"That's alright. There are certainly worse things," Heihachi replied with a smile, kissing the top of Lee's head. He remembered thinking how lucky he was.

It was a stark contrast to how he felt watching Lee compete from afar. Though Lee had defeated the Prototype Jack robot handily, he wasn't surprised when Lee had some apparent difficulties in his match against Bucket Head. He couldn't help but admire Lee's agility and speed against Paul's immense strength. After obtaining a hard fought win in the first round, Lee lost the second round narrowly after Paul successfully rebuffed a jumping side kick and sent Lee down hard on his back. Watching the boy get up like an old man and seeing the look on his face on the monitor as he did, Heihachi had immediately left the booth and went down to the arena and stood just outside of the ring during the third round. Watching through the Plexiglas cage, he felt pride surge within him as Lee triumphed over Paul by way of a virtually unstoppable ten hit combination in spite of the injury he had sustained at the end of the second round.

As Lee hobbled out of the ring, Bucket Head followed behind him slowly and held the door for him.

"I'm real sorry about your back. That's not what I meant to do."

"It's alright. I'm fine," Lee lied, attempting to straighten up and immediately hunching again.

"Geez, I'm sorry. I hope that you're alright by your fight tomorrow. Congratulations, by the way. I told you that you should have entered that tournament in New York."

"I wouldn't have been ready then anyway. I've been training a lot with-"

It was then that Lee looked over and noticed him.

"Can I help you?" Lee asked coldly. Heihachi watched Bucket Head's eyes dart from himself to Lee and back again, clearly confused.

"Congratulations on your victory," Heihachi replied. He wished that Bucket Head hadn't been there so he could tell Lee that he wanted to talk to him in private. In that moment, there was a lot he thought he would like to tell Lee.

"Thank you."

"Additionally, VEST is performing absolutely sensationally. Thank you."

"It should be. After you sprung the complete systems check on me the week before the tournament, I stayed till ten every night working on it and I came in on the Saturday and Sunday making sure everything was perfect. If only the team that worked on the Jack Robots should have shown a similar level of dedication; perhaps they wouldn't have proved such a complete and utter embarrassment."

Heihachi growled in response. Lee merely smirked.

"You should let me look at your back," Heihachi stated.

"Nonsense. I'm fine, father," Lee hissed, eyes flashing.

"Suit yourself," Heihachi replied, turning to leave the arena. He would not stand there and take such insolence from the boy no matter how much he loved him. Passing Kazuya on the stairs as he made his exit, he was tempted to say something to him about how disappointing his fight with Anna had been, but Kazuya didn't even acknowledge him as he went by.

Lee's fight with Nina the next day was similarly hard won. Though Heihachi had always liked Anna Williams better than her sister, he would never have made the claim that she was the better fighter. As he watched Lee enter the cage, he noted that his back still must have been bothering him. In contrast, Nina strode into the ring without any apparent injury. Fighting against the Prince Edward Island background, Lee surprised Heihachi by defeating Nina in two rounds. At the beginning of the first round it looked like Nina had the upper hand, but when she attempted to get Lee in a hold, he successfully used a reversal and then proceeded to take control of the round. In the second round, Lee successfully blocked Nina's kicks before successfully sweeping her feet out from under her. When she sprang up feet first, he dodged her attempt to connect with his chest and was then able to put her in a hold from behind. Though she managed a punch combination that took away what would have otherwise been a perfect victory, Lee still won the round decisively and Heihachi was suitably impressed. This meant that Kazuya and Lee were going to face off in the semi-final and that he was going to fight the victor. Though he was sure that Kazuya would win the match, he had still been looking forward to watching the fight.

Until the fight began. From the first instance, Heihachi knew what he was watching and it enraged him beyond measure. Who did those arrogant children think they were fooling? They were making WWF and _West Side Story _look authentic by comparison. He watched Kazuya dodge kicks he had never been fast enough to dodge before. He saw Lee essentially walk straight into a hold. And so careful of each other's faces- until the grand finale, that was. At that point, Kazuya took a deliberate shot at Lee's lip before Kazuya's obviously tempered roundhouse kick sent Lee sprawling to the Astroturf of stadium generated by VEST. Heihachi growled as Kazuya stood with his arms crossed and then turned and looked up at him in the booth. On the monitor he saw his cold eyes and a smirk. In contrast, Lee was attempting to slink out of the cage unnoticed, hand on his lower back and head down. Nina was waiting for him directly outside. Heihachi contemplated walking down there and forcing Lee to tell him the meaning of all that, but he supposed it wouldn't be any use. Lee's loyalty belonged solely to Kazuya now. Heihachi growled again. He was starting to wonder if he had made a huge mistake.

Lee paused as he exited the ring, watching a young male reporter in a cheap looking suit nearly push Nina in order to reach him.

"Mr. Chaolan, now that you are eliminated from the tournament, can I have that interview about the VEST system?"

"VEST stands for Virtual Environment SYSTEMs Technology. And if you're going to be rude and push my friends, that's not going to happen. Apologize and I'll consider it," Lee snarled.

"I'm sorry, sir, I just-"

"To her," Lee corrected.

"Right. Sorry… Miss Williams, right?"

"Yes. It's alright. Lee, perhaps you want to schedule the interview with the boy for another time. Maybe the Monday after the Tournament?" Nina suggested.

"Yeah, fine. Strangely enough, I don't carry my business cards in this get-up. Just… come to the Mishima Zaibatsu on Monday at 10:30. I'll meet you down in the foyer at the front desk. Do you have a business card? Or a name even?" Lee asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Hideki Yamada and here is my business card," the boy stated as he proffered his business card to Lee.

"Alright, Hideki. I'll see you Monday."

"Thanks… great. I really appreciate it, Mr. Chaolan."

"Sure. Of course," Lee replied, watching the reporter scurry away. He turned to Nina, "Thanks for that."

"Oh, you wouldn't mind normally. You're just cranky now, is all. I'd like to talk to you in your dressing room if you wouldn't mind."

"Sure," Lee replied, watching Kazuya pose for pictures and talk to reporters and then glancing up at Heihachi's booth. He could see him glowering down at Kazuya in the ring, but then his attention shifted. He could feel Heihachi staring accusingly at him. He knew. Well, it wasn't surprising. He had trained Kazuya his entire life and had provided and assisted in all the formal training he had ever been given. He knew all of their moves and he knew what they were capable of. Though an authentic fight between them would have had the same outcome, it could have been a lot more damaging to both fighters. That was why they had decided to forgo it.

Gripping his lower back the moment the door had closed behind them on the arena, Lee walked like an old man to his dressing room and unlocked the door with a key had kept concealed on a necklace inside of his tight sleeveless blue shirt. Lee lowered himself gingerly onto the black leather couch, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. He waited silently for Nina to confront him about whatever it was that she wanted to say to him.

"So what was that?" Nina asked plaintively. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was sitting on the vanity, wearing a black sweater, skin tight black pants, and black high heeled boots. She looked good.

"It was exactly what you think it was," Lee replied. She knew. There was no point in lying about it.

"Can I ask why?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Why?"

"If we had fought in earnest, the outcome would have almost certainly been the same, but Kazuya may have been injured."

"And?" Nina pressed.

"And he really wants to win the Tournament. After what happened, I couldn't very well tell him no. This _is _all my fault," Lee replied. He contemplated cleaning the dried blood from his bottom lip, but that would mean he'd have to move and that really seemed like too much of an imposition at the present.

"You can't believe that. Heihachi would have found a reason to do what he did to Kazuya even if he had never adopted you in the first place. I'm sure of it. And why does Kazuya want to win so badly? What will it prove? That Heihachi's drug or virus or whatever has made him a better fighter? I would say it hasn't, but who knows what he's been playing at this whole time. I can't believe this is about the prize money. A billion dollars is a lot. A serious lot, but I don't think that's what would motivate Kazuya," Nina argued, picking up a wash cloth, walking to the sink and wetting it. She walked over and began to casually wipe the blood from his lip. He cooperated even though he didn't like being treated like he was a child.

"I don't know why it's so important to him, except that he's Kazuya and it's a tournament and he wants to win it. That actually seemed fairly normal to me," Lee replied.

"Has he ever asked you to throw a fight before?" Nina asked, hanging the washcloth from the edge of the sink. She knew that he would tweak out if she hung it up from the towel rack and let it drip onto the floor.

"No, but he's never had an opportunity to go head to head with Heihachi in a tournament either. Maybe that's what he wants out of this. Just the chance to beat Heihachi," Lee suggested. He hadn't pressed Kazuya on his motivations. He assumed Kazuya had wanted to win because he always did and that he had wanted to fight Heihachi because he never had. After Kazuya had told him firmly not to stop second guessing him or hit the road on the day with the sniper, Lee had stopped questioning Kazuya's decisions.

"Maybe. Do you think his other fights were legitimate?" Nina asked.

"I don't know. I think he may have been holding back… not with Armor King, but with Anna definitely and Yoshimitsu, probably. Your sister was upset during the fight and he felt more himself. He said he had a really hard time of it," Lee replied.

"So… these times when he's more like himself, they're brought on by emotion?" Nina asked.

"Yes… sometimes, but it doesn't do any good. He's gone again in a matter of minutes. Sometimes seconds. Don't tell her that in hopes that if she cries at him that he'll magically change back. It doesn't work that way," Lee said. He was glad to have a legitimate reason to claim that Anna should keep her distance. She was potential competition and Lee was jealous.

"I won't. I'd prefer my sister stayed away from him at this juncture and I wish you'd consider doing the same. Heihachi has proven that he's a dangerous man and I think there's a good chance that Kazuya has the potential to be every bit as dangerous now," Nina opined.

"Maybe, but perhaps once he's fought Heihachi he'll calm down. And after the Tournament, I'm going to start working on reversing the his condition again."

"What if he decides that he wants to keep it? That he's adjusted to it- he likes it and he's more powerful. What then?" Nina demanded.

"Even if that's what he does, I've got to stick by him," Lee replied, hoping with all his heart that Kazuya would keep his word and allow him to resume his work on reversing his condition as soon as the Tournament was over. Though he had allowed for one weekly blood test to monitor the progress of the virus, Kazuya had remained silent on the issue of reversing it since he had first asked Lee to stop his work in the lead up to the tournament. Lee hoped that silence didn't mean that Kazuya had changed his mind about continuing to search for an antidote.

"No, you don't. If he doesn't keep up his end of the bargain, neither should you."

Lee sighed, grabbing his cigarettes off the table. He took one from the pack and lit it.

"Well? What do you plan to do?" Nina asked, leaning on the vanity again.

"Exactly what I said. He's still Kazuya and as long as he wants me around, I'll be here," Lee replied. He didn't like her pressing him like this.

"To be used and manipulated," Nina stated.

"Fuck you."

"Lee, I don't want to see you get hurt and I think that's all that's going to happen if you stay. Heihachi clearly can't handle what's happened between the two of you and Kazuya wants to control you. You're a useful ally. Probably nothing more at this point."

Tears sprung to Lee's eyes. It was everything he'd been thinking and it made so much sense. He wiped his eyes with his arm awkwardly and took a long drag on his cigarette.

"I'm not saying this to be a bitch. I'm worried about you. I'm sorry that I'm upsetting you," Nina stated, approaching the couch with the box of tissues from the vanity table.

Lee took one and wiped his eyes better.

"Lee, don't be angry. Say something."

"I'm not angry. I just can't leave. I love him."

"Alright. So, Bucket Head messed up your back?" Nina asked, changing the subject much to Lee's relief.

"Yeah. Really bad," Lee replied.

"Want a backrub?" Nina asked.

"I don't know. Kazuya gave me one last night and I think he made it worse."

"Oh… well. I'll try if you want me to. I suppose I shouldn't point out that Hei-"

"No."

"He could probably fix it in two minutes."

"No."

"You'd rather suffer?"

"Yes."

"Silly boy."

"Whatever."

"Do you want a backrub?"

"Sure," Lee replied, putting out his cigarette in a small plastic ashtray. He had left the nice one in Kazuya's dressing room.

"Take off your shirt," Nina demanded, bending over and unzipping her boots and stepping out of them. He pulled his sleeveless blue shirt over his head, leaving only his black leather pants and black boots.

"Now what?"

"Lay down on your stomach."

"Okay," Lee replied, doing as he was told.

"Alright," Nina said, straddling Lee's lower back and commencing to rub his back.

"Your hands are cold."

"Sorry."

"It feels good."

"Oh. Good then."

"Yeah. Ow. Fuck."

"So, that's where it hurts?" Nina asked, gently tapping the middle of Lee's back just to the right of his spine.

"Obviously."

"You know, you may need medical attention."

"Sure… when the Tournament is over, I might get some."

"With all due respect, it's over for you."

"Yeah… but I can't miss the match tomorrow."

"Okay, but-"

"Ooh. What's going on in here?" Kazuya asked, bursting into the room suddenly. He sounded like his old self.

"A backrub."

"Good luck with that. I allegedly 'made it worse,'" Kazuya told her.

"Yeah. I heard. I would congratulate you, but I'm not stupid."

"Well. For the greater good. Wish me luck tomorrow at least."

Lee could hear Kazuya's good humor fade and the monotone imposter return. He was gone that quickly.

"Sure," Nina replied.

Kazuya sat down backwards on the chair in front of the vanity, facing Lee and Nina. He picked at the large hole on the left knee of his jeans.

"So, Heihachi definitely knows," Lee stated, looking at Kazuya.

"I know."

"So what does that mean?"

"Nothing. There's nothing he could do about it anyway. What's he going to do? Disqualify me? Have Nina and Yoshimitsu fight a final round and fight the winner? That's not why he had the Tournament. He wanted to fight me. He's not going to do anything that would stop that from happening," Kazuya explained, keeping his reply purposely vague.

"Fair enough," Lee replied. It was pointless to argue.

"And you think Heihachi's just going to let this drop?" Nina asked. Lee couldn't tell if the question was directed at him or Kazuya, so he remained quiet as she continued to knead his back with her small hands.

"Yes. He doesn't have much of a choice if he wants to fight me," Kazuya reiterated.

"I just can't believe either of you would stoop to this," Nina replied.

Kazuya merely shrugged. Lee didn't say anything. He felt a little ashamed.

"I'm going to go now," Nina declared, climbing off of Lee's back and walking back over to her boots in order to put them back on. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lee. Best of luck, Kazuya."

"Thank you," Kazuya replied coldly.

"Thanks for the back rub," Lee said.

"You're welcome. Tomorrow then."

"Yeah," Lee replied, watching Nina exit the dressing room.

"Did you tell her about the fight or did she figure it out?" Kazuya asked.

"She knew."

"How?"

"She didn't say," Lee replied.

"How's your back?"

"Miserable."

"Your lip?"

"Alright."

"What do you want to do for dinner? I'm famished."

"I don't know. You're the pretend winner- where do you want to go to pretend celebrate?" Lee asked, continuing to just lie on the couch. He wasn't remotely hungry.

"What about that place with the Cuban sandwiches?"

"Anything is fine, Kazuya. I'm not hungry," Lee replied.

"Do you want me to try to give you another backrub?" Kazuya offered. He almost looked concerned, but he wasn't quite pulling it off.

"No. I cherish the ability to walk."

Kazuya just smiled.

"I wouldn't hold it against you if you let my father fix your back."

"I don't want his hands on me. I didn't before and I certainly don't now that he's so angry at us," Lee replied.

"Understandable. You should take a hot bath tonight. I can give a gentler backrub if you want me to try again. As it is, something either works tonight or tomorrow or you're going to a doctor on Monday."

"I've got an interview with some kid about VEST on Monday."

"You don't need to do that shit personally, you know."

"I know, but if I don't do it, somebody else will and they'll likely do a subpar job. This could be good publicity for the Zaibatsu. I don't mind," Lee told him, sitting up slowly.

"That's fine. My concern is that you have bigger fish to fry- important work that needs to get done."

"Sure. There's always stuff to do, but good public relations are very important."

"Yeah. That's why we have a PR Department," Kazuya replied

"But they'd screw it up."

"And that'll bring us back to doe."

"Hmm?"

"That's where you started- 'somebody'll screw it up' and that's where you ended. Like 'Doe a Deer,'" Kazuya explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Listen. Do what you need to do, but if your back is still messed up, you need to get it looked at and you don't have to meet with twerpy kid reporters just because they ask," Kazuya stated, getting up from the chair.

Lee just nodded.

"Can you shower and be ready in like half an hour?" Kazuya asked, standing by the door to the dressing room.

"Yeah. Probably a little less," Lee replied.

"Good… I'm so hungry," Kazuya said, opening the door. "See you in thirty."

"Sure," Lee replied, getting up slowly. He looked at the left wall of his dressing room and wondered what repercussions might lie ahead for the stunt they had pulled. Now that he knew what Heihachi was capable of, he wasn't stupid enough or arrogant enough to think that they wouldn't be punished. In Lee's estimation, it was just a matter of when.

It was all a blur. A big horrible blur. When he and Kazuya had arrived back at the penthouse after dinner, they had found an envelope resting against the door. Kazuya opened it once they were inside.

"Fuck."

"What?

"The final match is on location. At a fucking cliff," Kazuya replied, putting the engraved invitation down on his kitchen table. He went over to the window and looked out.

"Well, are you foreseeing problems with the location?" Lee asked, unsure as to why Kazuya seemed so upset by the news.

"You know the scar on my chest?"

"Yeah."

"You remember what I told you when you asked how I got it?"

"Yeah. A training incident," Lee replied, sitting down slowly at the kitchen table. He had asked Kazuya about his massive and highly noticeable scar when he was he was thirteen and he had been there about a year. They had long been best friends by then and Kazuya was typically so open with him. Lee was often the reticent one when it came to questions about the past. In that case, however, Kazuya had given him an extremely vague answer. He didn't want to pry and he never asked about it again.

"Yes. With a cliff. This cliff. My father threw me over the cliff to see if I could make it back up. I was five. I almost died. I didn't tell you the whole truth then because I didn't want to scare you. Maybe I should have. I probably would have if I knew what was going to happen- with you and him, I mean," Kazuya stated mechanically. All of his ire had already disappeared and he was back to monotone voice and robotic motions.

"An actual cliff?" Lee asked, raising his eyebrows. He wasn't sure how a child could survive being thrown down an actual cliff.

"Imaginary cliffs don't tend to leave hideous scars."

"Maybe it seemed bigger. You were really young," Lee suggested.

"Perhaps. You'll see it tomorrow. Then you can decide whether or not I'm blowing things out of proportion," Kazuya sneered.

Lee sighed and pushed his hair back with his left hand. Everything he said nowadays seemed to be wrong. He wasn't sure why he even bothered.

"Do you think I'm lying?" Kazuya demanded coldly.

"No… I'm just not sure that the memories of a traumatized five year-old would be completely accurate, but from now on when I find myself questioning you, I'll just keep it to myself," Lee replied bitterly.

"It's not too late for you to change your mind, you know. You can still leave."

"I will if you want me to," Lee replied, locking eyes with Kazuya as he called his bluff.

"You know I don't," Kazuya told him.

"You've got a strange way of showing it," Lee replied, taking his cigarettes from his pocket and lighting one.

"It just disturbs me that you simply won't take my word that I was thrown off of a cliff. Instead, you question me about the size of the cliff and whether or not I may have exaggerated aspects of my story. It's as if you're disinclined to believe that my father did that to me," Kazuya explained.

"That's not it at all, Kazuya. I didn't say that," Lee replied. From the moment he had learned that Heihachi had ordered an attack and subsequent experimentation on Kazuya, Lee had accepted that he had been wrong about Heihachi and instantaneously came around to Kazuya's way of thinking that Heihachi was a dangerous man. However, that didn't mean that Kazuya was suddenly right about everything and while he was always wrong. That was bullshit and it was really beginning to wear thin.

"Look. I'm sorry, okay? I suppose I am apprehensive," Kazuya stated blandly.

Lee took a drag on his cigarette, wondering the extent to which Kazuya was even capable of feeling apprehension that this point. Trying to figure out which emotions Kazuya actually still had and which he was simply lying about to seem normal had become a daily occurrence.

"It's understandable," Lee replied finally.

"Maybe you should go and take your bath now."

"Maybe," Lee agreed. He didn't really want to take a bath, but he supposed it might help. It would give him a short break from Kazuya, anyway.

"Why do you think he wants the fight there?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Not particularly."

"It should be. Look at how you're reacting to the news. This is how he's chosen to handle you. Maybe just because you're you or maybe for the stunt we pulled earlier today, but either way, he was hoping you'd have just this reaction to returning to that cliff," Lee explained. Perhaps Kazuya was genuinely addled. He should have been able to piece that together. Lee felt a sudden rush of sympathy for him.

"I suppose you're right," Kazuya replied, leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, but do your best not to let it upset you," Lee told him, finishing his cigarette and standing up slowly.

"Yeah."

"You're an adult. You're younger and faster than he is. You may be stronger."

"Yeah," Kazuya agreed.

"You have a good chance of winning."

"I intend to. I just didn't expect him to do this, but you're right… he's just trying to play me. He really shouldn't have resorted to this," Kazuya stated in that cold mechanical voice.

"No, but it's his tournament," Lee said, shrugging and immediately regretting it. Even that hurt.

"Yeah, you're right," Kazuya agreed.

When Lee had finished his bath, which didn't help, Kazuya gave him another gentler back rub which also didn't help.

"Well, sorry. I guess Bucket Head broke you," Kazuya said, lying down next to Lee on the bed.

"I guess so. "

"It was really impressive, though. You fought really well in spite of your injury."

"Thank you."

"You really don't enjoy tournaments anymore?" Kazuya asked.

"No. I don't know. Once I figure out I'm not the best at something, I kind of lose interest," Lee confessed. It was the same reason he didn't like karaoke and why he had given up on gymnastics and the cello. When he knew he couldn't possibly be the best at something, it seemed completely pointless to him to continue doing it.

"I don't understand. You're a really talented fighter."

"Yes, but you're a better fighter. Heihachi's a better fighter. Bucket Head could definitely beat me; I just happened to win this time. And my record in the tournaments we went to growing up is nothing like yours. I won more than I lost, but I wasn't undefeated like you."

"Undefeated and one draw."

"Yeah. Well, fuck the 'Is that a legal move?' guy. What did he know?" Lee replied.

He heard Kazuya laugh. He sounded like himself.

"Listen. I know this hasn't been easy and I haven't been myself. I just want to thank you for standing by me. For doing everything you've done. I just hope that whatever happens tomorrow, you will continue to do so," Kazuya said, in a voice sounding close to his normal voice. Or at least Lee thought so. It was getting harder to distinguish. Maybe he was just getting better at pretending he was feeling more like himself. Lee sighed. He was overanalyzing things as usual. He loved Kazuya and in so much as he was still capable, Kazuya seemed to love him, too.

"Of course, Kazuya. It doesn't matter to me if you win or lose. I've stayed because I love you. You're right that it hasn't been easy, but I should try to be more patient with you. I think that might help," Lee said.

"You're the best," Kazuya replied.

Lee smiled, leaned over and kissed Kazuya on the cheek. Kazuya seemed to be getting better about touching people and being touched. Hopefully he wouldn't mind the peck, but Lee couldn't see his reaction in the dark.

"Goodnight," Kazuya said, moving closer to Lee and placing his arm over him.

"Goodnight," Lee replied, snuggling closer to Kazuya. He was surprised when Kazuya kissed the top of his ear. His heart beat fast and his blood raced through his body. He wanted Kazuya so badly and it was torturous to know that Kazuya would never feel the same.

In the morning, Kazuya woke up a half hour before his alarm was set to go off at seven. Already awake, Lee got up with him and silently went to work setting up the coffee and making breakfast.

"How's your back?"

"Horrible."

"What are you making for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal. Unless you don't want that."

"That's fine," Kazuya replied, sitting down at his kitchen table and folding his hands.

"You alright?" Lee asked, looking at Kazuya. He looked strange even for his current state.

"Yes. It's like I said last night. I'm apprehensive," Kazuya replied.

"Don't be. I think you've got this," Lee told him.

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"My pleasure."

"You're such a wise ass, Chaolan," Kazuya commented with a smile.

"Yeah, I know, but I really think there's a good chance you're going to win."

"I hope so," Kazuya replied.

Lee merely smiled at him and continued to go about making breakfast. After showering, Kazuya put on his white karate pants, a black t-shirt and a black dress shirt.

"I'm going to drive," Kazuya told Lee, as he combed his hair up and back with a good deal of hair gel.

"You don't want me driving up the side of a mountain?" Lee teased, walking through the room wearing a towel. He grabbed a pair of jeans, a pair of black briefs, and a pair of socks from his drawer in Kazuya's dresser and a black pinstripe dress shirt from the closet.

"Certainly not. Is that my shirt or yours, you little thief?"

"Mine I think," Lee replied, walking back into the bathroom to dress.

"Think again."

"Yeah… you must be right. It's a little big," Lee called, examining himself in the mirror.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kazuya called back.

"You're just so big and strong," Lee replied with a smirk.

"Can't help yourself, can you?" Kazuya called back.

"Not really, no," Lee replied, straightening the shirt, deciding he was going to wear it anyway.

For the duration of the hour long drive to the mountains, they rode in complete silence in the silver Stingray. As they drove up the mountain to the location of the final match, Lee frowned as he noted that the mountain was quite tall. It appeared that Kazuya hadn't been exaggerating and he felt bad that he hadn't accepted Kazuya's story without questioning it. At the summit of the mountain, Kazuya parked his car next to Anna's red Mercedes. Several other cars, mostly generic looking rental cars, were already parked, but Heihachi's black Cadillac was nowhere to be seen.

"Watch. He'll be late. It's part of his game," Kazuya stated, walking towards a tent with his name on a sign above the entry flap. He was carrying a duffel bag with his guards in it.

"Very likely," Lee agreed, walking at Kazuya's side.

"This is surreal."

Lee nodded. The whole thing was creepy even as a bystander. He couldn't imagine what this must have felt like for Kazuya. Once inside the tent, Kazuya stripped out of his shirts and put on his bright red guards.

"What do you think? I should've worn the ripped jeans. I know they drive him nuts," Kazuya said, with a slight smile.

"Yeah, but I think this is better. Do you want me to go?" Lee offered, putting his hands in his pockets. He was wearing his fall jacket. Kazuya must've been freezing.

"No. Not unless you want to," Kazuya replied.

Lee shook his head.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you about-"

"It's okay. I know how it sounds," Kazuya interrupted firmly, clearly not wishing to discuss the matter further. Lee didn't push him to do so.

After a few minutes Lee looked at his watch. 12:12. Heihachi was late. On the invitation it had noon. Kazuya looked extremely uneasy. Lee's heart went out to him.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. There's nothing more you could do."

Lee just nodded and continued to stand with Kazuya and wait as the second went by like hours. Finally at 12:18, one of the officials came to the flap of the tent and asked Kazuya if he was ready. Kazuya replied in the affirmative. He then turned back to Lee.

"You're going to win, Kazuya Mishima," Lee stated confidently, locking eyes with him. Those cold eyes stared back, but a smile slowly spread across his lips. He then turned and exited the tent, walking with a confident swagger.

Lee left the tent a minute or so after Kazuya and was surprised and dismayed to find Heihachi standing just outside of his own tent in his custom black sleeveless gi with a tiger on the back.

"It figures," Heihachi sneered as he watched Lee emerge from Kazuya's tent.

"You're unbelievable," Lee stated, unable to even begin to articulate the depth of his disgust for this man that he used to respect and love.

Heihachi merely laughed, shaking his head slightly before stopping abruptly.

"Hold still, boy," Heihachi commanded gruffly, taking hold of Lee before he had a chance to move out of his grasp. Heihachi quickly grabbed Lee's left arm and pressed his lower back on the right side. With a sudden movement accompanied by loud cracking noises, Heihachi fixed his back and then pushed him away as quickly as he had grabbed hold of him. Lee stumbled forward.

"You're welcome," Heihachi stated with a smirk.

Lee didn't say anything, but quickly walked toward the cliff. His back was a little sore, but infinitely better than it had been. Lee fumed, as he walked over to where Nina and Anna were standing together on the viewing deck to the left side of the ring directly across from an identical one that had been constructed on the right side. Anna stared daggers at him while Nina offered a slight smile.

"He fixed my fucking back," Lee stated with a shrug. This time it didn't hurt. He turned and looked at Kazuya standing with his back to the cliff, facing the tents, waiting for Heihachi to enter the makeshift arena.

"That's good, right?" Nina asked, threading her arm through Lee's casually. He allowed it. She seemed cold. Though the sky was very clear, it was a very brisk fall day.

"Yeah… I guess," Lee replied.

"Kazuya told me to apologize for throwing the drink on you, but I don't feel like it. _I _bought him that shirt," Anna informed him, apparently noticing the collar of Kazuya's pinstripe shirt.

"Well, sorry. I thought it was mine. Trust me. I won't make the mistake again," Lee replied. How could she talk about such stupid crap at a time like this?

Anna just shook head and rolled her eyes. Lee didn't even comment on it. He glanced across the way and spotted Bucket Head standing with his friend Marshall Law on the right platform. He wished he had chosen to watch the match from that side instead. Paul's brand of inanity was far more pleasant and easier to ignore.

Lee's heart was in his throat as he watched Heihachi lumber towards the ring. He looked at Kazuya. He bit his bottom lip hard. It split again and he tasted his blood. When Heihachi met Kazuya at the center of the ring, he could see that Heihachi was saying something to him. Kazuya gave him that cold smile and said something in response. Immediately after, the first round commenced. Lee had taken part in a good number of tournaments. He had seen hundreds of matches, some quite intense. He had witnessed Kazuya stomp on a boy's arm and break it without any apparent compunction. But nothing he had witnessed previously prepared him for the brutality of this fight between Heihachi and Kazuya. He watched in complete shock as the two typically technically flawless fighters engaged in a rather savage looking brawl. At the end of the first round, Kazuya was on his knees, bleeding from a cut above his eye. As he shook, Lee felt Nina grip him hard. He glanced over at Anna. She had tears in her eyes.

"I don't have to fucking watch this. I'll be in the car," Anna declared, turning and pushing her way through the other spectators as the second round started.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going with her," Nina remarked, watching as Kazuya caught Heihachi hard in the jaw with a high kick.

Lee didn't respond. He didn't feel like he knew how to even formulate a response at this point. He watched Kazuya deliver a swift blow to Heihachi's ribs before managing to get him into a hold. Kazuya kicked Heihachi to the ground hard and then kicked him again in the ribs while he was still on the ground. Lee felt his stomach twisting as he continued to watch Kazuya dominate the second round. In spite of everything, watching this fight was proving to be extremely difficult for him. By the end of the second round, Heihachi was clearly suffering from some broken ribs and appeared to be in agony.

Kazuya smiled confidently as the third round began. Dodging Heihachi's attempted attacks with drastically heightened speed, Kazuya launched in his signature triple spin kick striking Heihachi in the ribs again deliberately. As Heihachi clambered to stand, Kazuya kicked hard in the side of the head and Heihachi fell to the ground, clearly unconscious. Kazuya took a step back and crossed his arms. One of the officials hastily declared him the winner of The King of the Iron Fist Tournament, but it was apparent that he and his colleagues were decidedly more concerned with moving Heihachi from the ring back to his tent. Kazuya quickly moved from the ring back towards his own tent. He was the portrait of apathy.

As the spectators around them began to depart, Lee and Nina continued to stand there, stunned by what they had just witnessed.

"Well… I think we know the answer about the other fights then," Nina stated.

"Yeah," Lee replied. He felt lightheaded.

"You alright?"

"Not particularly," Lee replied.

"Come on. Let's go," Nina stated, gripping Lee's arm more firmly. She led him across the platform and almost past the tents.

"I've got to talk to Kazuya," Lee said, breaking away from Nina violently.

"Alright. I'll wait for you," Nina replied, crossing her arms.

Lee nodded before bursting into Kazuya's tent. Kazuya was seated at the vanity table, calmly cleaning the blood from the right side of his face.

"What the fuck was that!?" Lee demanded, walking over to Kazuya.

"Or maybe you could try 'Congratulations'," Kazuya cracked, looking at Lee in the mirror, rather than turning around.

"At the end… when you… during the Tournament you didn't…"

"Yes. I know. It was information that I wanted to keep from him. Right until the end. Part of the reason that the fight with you was choreographed. I didn't want to hurt you. If you and I were to fight in earnest, I would obliterate you- worse than I did the Old Man. As it is though, I think I may have snapped his neck. I'm not sure," Kazuya stated coldly with a shrug, returning his attention to the task of cleaning the blood off of his face.

"Kazuya. Do you really think that…that…" Lee stammered and trailed off.

"Yes. I think he's dead. No, I'm not sorry. And I can't believe _you_. He's the one who did this to me, remember?" Kazuya demanded.

Lee stood frozen in shock, his mouth agape. He felt like he wanted to scream or like he might vomit. He kept hoping that he would wake up to find this had just been a nightmare, but he knew it wasn't possible.

"Get the fuck out, you traitor," Kazuya spat, locking eyes with Lee's reflection.

With that, Lee emerged from the tent and walked towards Nina.

"He thinks he's dead," Lee stated slowly.

Nina winced.

"What?"

"It looked like a possibility. It- there's a good chance a hit like that would snap his neck," Nina replied gently.

Lee felt like he had been hit hard in the stomach. He walked toward Heihachi's tent as if in a trance. Two of the officials were guarding the flap of the tent.

"Absolutely no one is to be admitted into this tent," the large man on the left stated firmly.

"But I'm-"

"No one, Mr. Chaolan," the official reiterated.

"Do not take another step forward," the official on the right stated, holding a Taser at the ready in his right hand.

Defeated, Lee turned numbly and walked back over to Nina.

"They wouldn't let me in. One of them had a Taser," Lee stated.

"Lee, if you really want to get in, we could fight our way in. I would help you. Anna would help you," Nina said, grasping Lee's hands.

Lee shook his head. The writing was on the wall.

"I can't. You think that he's dead?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, I do," Nina replied softly. "I'm sorry."

Lee nodded.

"Can you take me back to the Compound?"

"Yes. Of course, but why don't you come back to my father's house instead?" Nina asked. They had begun walking back towards the car again.

"No… I want to be alone," Lee replied.

"Alright," Nina replied, continuing to support him as they walked. When they approached the car, they saw Anna was sitting in the passenger's seat waiting. When Nina opened the backdoor of the Mercedes and Lee climbed in Anna raised her eyebrows.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Anna asked.

"Anna, do not start. You need to drive," Nina replied, getting into the car after Lee and shutting the door. She put her arm around his shoulders.

"What's going on? Is Kazuya okay?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, but it seems likely that he's killed Heihachi. Drive," Nina demanded.

"Oh shit," Anna responded, too surprised to challenge Nina's authority. She got out of the car and rushed around the front to the driver's side and started the car.

Once on her way down the mountain, he saw Anna look in the rearview mirror.

"Where am I going?"  
"The Mishima Compound," Nina replied, looking at Lee, clearly hoping he'd changed his mind. He hadn't.

"Oh… Sweetie, do you really think that's where you ought to go? You should come home with us," Anna recommended, seeming forgetting her earlier petty anger in light of recent events.

"No… I want to be alone. It's really sweet of you… both of you, but I can't right now," Lee explained, looking out the window and then looking down at his feet, hoping that he wasn't going to vomit in Anna's car.

"Alright… what happens now, though?" Anna asked.

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

"Well, if that's true, is Kazuya going to be arrested?"

"I don't know."

"What's going to happen with everything?"

"I don't know. I'm sure Heihachi had his affairs in order, but it's not our concern," Nina replied pointedly.

"Yeah... this was an accident, right?" Anna asked, looking in the rearview mirror again, this time specifically at her sister.

"No. I would say not," Nina replied, giving Lee's shoulders a squeeze.

"Shit. Geez, Lee. I'm really sorry. I know you two weren't exactly getting along right now, but I know this has still got to be hard for you," Anna said.

"It is… but can we stop talking about it for right now?" Lee asked. His head was spinning. He leaned on Nina's shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Sure," Anna replied. They were all silent for the rest of the way to the Compound. When they arrived, Lee thanked Anna and climbed out of the door behind the passenger's side. When Nina slid over to follow him, he put a hand up.

"No. Please. I just want to be alone," Lee reiterated.

"Are you sure? I just want to make sure that you're okay," Nina said.

"I'm fine. I just want to be alone for now. I'll call you," Lee told her, wishing she would follow his request.

"Alright. We're so sorry," Nina said.

Lee nodded stiffly and gently closed the car door. Lee walked toward the house and watched the girls drive away. He entered through the garage and unlocked the door into the kitchen. It appeared that party preparations had been going on until moments before, but now the kitchen was strangely empty. Lee grabbed a bottle of brandy from the liquor cabinet and a glass from a kitchen cabinet before heading towards the foyer. As he walked into the foyer, James, Heihachi's authentic English butler met him.

"My condolences, Sir. We just received a telephone call from your brother. Is there anything we can do for you?" James asked as casually as if Lee hadn't been absent from the house for over a year and wasn't carrying almost an entire bottle of brandy upstairs to drink alone.

"Thank you, no. I just want to be left alone. Just make sure no disturbs me, please," Lee said, proceeding to the stairs.

"Very good, Sir. I will make your wishes known."

Lee climbed the stairs slowly and walked to Heihachi's bedroom. The bedroom they had shared for years. He looked around. It hadn't changed at all. Lee opened the closet. The things he had left were still on the right side. He opening the drawers of his dresser and found that what he hadn't packed was all still there. Lee sighed and went about pouring himself a drink with shaky hands. He sighed again before downing the first glass of the twenty-year old cognac in one gulp. Heihachi still wouldn't approve, he thought, pouring himself a second glass and before he went out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette.

He wondered what he ought to be doing, as placed his drink down on the small table and lit his cigarette. Should he be planning a funeral? Should he head over to Kazuya penthouse and quickly pack his things? And go where? Here to the Compound? A different city in Japan? Back to New York? To Ireland? Somewhere else? He didn't know. He also didn't know if he could live with Kazuya anymore. Whatever Heihachi's thugs and scientists had done to Kazuya seemed to have worked more quickly and penetrated more deeply than Lee had believed. He wondered if the man he had fallen in love with existed at all anymore. It was ironic. Heihachi and Kazuya had always been so much alike and neither of them ever wanted to admit it. And now, Kazuya had essentially become the cold, cruel, manipulative man that he had always believed his father to be and loathed.

As Lee finished his cigarette, he determined that he couldn't do anything that day. He couldn't calmly and rationally make decisions. If he tried to, he might explode, he thought as he gulped down the remainder of the second glass of brandy and reentered the bedroom, slamming the door much harder than he meant to behind him. He poured another glass of brandy, walked over to the bed, sat down, put his glass down on the night stand, and took off his boots. Kazuya's fucking shirt, he thought, clumsily attempting to unbutton the buttons before simply ripping the shirt off, causing the remaining half of the buttoned buttons to fall to the floor. The shirt quickly followed. He gulped down the rest of his third glass of brandy and got into bed.

After a few moments, he began to sob. It was all his fault. Every bit of it and the guilt was crushing. He cried for an indeterminate amount of time until he began to hiccup, which irritated him. He held his breath and stopped the hiccups and just lay there exhausted and drunk. He supposed he ought to just sleep it off and begin fresh when he woke up. He drifted into a blissfully deep sleep and only awoke when he heard the door knob turn. A little hazy about the circumstance that had brought him there and disconcerted, Lee sat up it the bed and watched the door open. It dark now; he had been asleep for hours.

"I thought I might find you here," Kazuya stated softly, approaching the bed in the dark.

"Stay away from me," Lee replied, reaching over to the nightstand, picking up his brandy snifter and throwing it at Kazuya. He heard it slam against the wall and break.

"I deserve that," Kazuya admitted, continuing to walk towards the bed.

"I can't even begin to tell you what you deserve," Lee replied, sitting up as Kazuya sat down beside him. Lee began to move away from Kazuya towards the right side of the bed. Heihachi's side of the bed.

He heard Kazuya sigh.

"Come here," Kazuya told him.

His voice sounded so much like it had before. It was so tempting.

"Come here," Kazuya repeated patiently as if he were talking to a child.

"No," Lee replied.

"Please?"

"No. You killed your father. After all these years of telling me what a bad person he was and that he couldn't be trusted, _you _killed him. How can I ever trust you again?" Lee demanded.

"I would never hurt you. You know that," Kazuya replied, his voice still soft and patient.

"How do I know that?" Lee demanded.

"Because I love you," Kazuya replied.

"You don't. Not really. Not anymore," Lee said, remembering what Kazuya had told him the night he had returned to Japan.

"Of course I do. Even if it's not in the conventional sense. I want you to be safe and happy. I want you with me. Isn't that love?" Kazuya asked.

Lee's eyes filled with tears. He wished that he could trust Kazuya. He wished more than anything that he could believe him, but he couldn't help but think of Nina's warning. What if Kazuya wanted nothing more than to manipulate him?

"Come here," Kazuya repeated, this time a bit more firmly, but still sounding like Kazuya. Lee obeyed this time, moving back to the left and leaning his head on Kazuya's right shoulder. Kazuya wrapped his arms around Lee.

"What time is it?" Lee asked.

"A little after ten. I wanted to be with you sooner, but there were things I had to deal with given the circumstances and then I went back to my place thinking you'd be there, but you weren't, so I figured you must be here," Kazuya replied, kissing Lee on the top of the head softly.

"Yeah… are you- what did the police say?" Lee asked.

"Well, the police didn't say much. They came and went pretty quickly, but these government agents came a few hours later and they essentially told me that my father had been considered an enemy of the Japanese state and that no investigation was necessary and no charges would be filed against me. It was surprising," Kazuya explained.

"An enemy of the state? I know the type of business associate Richard Williams really was and I'm sure that his ongoing issues with the Russians were completely extralegal, but I have a hard time believing that Heihachi was attempting to take down the Japanese government," Lee asserted.

" Maybe, maybe not. But my father did have his own private military- the Tekken Force. He was acquiring Soviet military robots in mass quantity and attempting to improve them in his labs. Most recently, their investigations turned up evidence that my father was attempting to pilot a nuclear program. They never really found out exactly what he intended to do with these things, but they were growing increasingly anxious about my father's activities."

Lee was stunned. He wondered if Kazuya was telling the truth.

"Anyway, I had to sign a paper promising to dismantle the fledgling nuclear program and a contract with the Japanese government agreeing to report on our progress in with the improvement of the Jacks with a clause stating that we wouldn't conduct deals selling the technology to foreign states or private organizations."

"And the Tekken Force?"

"We agreed that they were security rather than a private militia."

Lee was speechless. He didn't know whether or not to believe Kazuya, but then he wasn't in police or government custody.

"I know. It's shocking. Quite frankly, I knew that he was doing things he shouldn't have been, but I had no idea the extent of these activities."

"Yeah… I had no idea. I feel so stupid," Lee stated.

"Don't. I think he worked hard to keep all of this from you. He knew you wouldn't approve of any of it. That's why you were down on the thirty-seventh floor working on things like VEST and robotic prosthetics," Kazuya replied.

"Maybe. I still feel really stupid."

"Don't," Kazuya repeated, gently caressing Lee's bare shoulder. "How's your back?"

"He fixed it. Right before he went out to the ring. He grabbed me and just cracked it back into place," Lee replied.

"Good."

"I guess," Lee agreed.

"No, it is," Kazuya replied and then paused. "Lee?"

"Yeah?" Lee asked.

In response, Kazuya grabbed his chin, tilted his face upwards, kissed him firmly on the lips. In spite of his confusion, Lee kissed back. As they kissed, Kazuya moved so that he was on top of Lee and Lee was lying flat on his back on the bed. Lee wrapped his arms around Kazuya and rubbed his muscular back. When Kazuya sat up abruptly, Lee wasn't sure what to expect, but he quickly realized that Kazuya was removing his shirts. Lee threw the covers off of his body and waited to see what Kazuya was going to do. When Kazuya began to kiss him again, Lee continued rubbing Kazuya's back, opened his legs and wrapped them tightly around Kazuya's waist. He couldn't believe this was happening. This had to be a dream.

"Lee?" Kazuya asked, nibbling his right earlobe.

"Yeah?" Lee responded, gripping Kazuya's lower back hard.

"Is this what you want?" Kazuya whispered.

"Yes," Lee replied.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Lee replied. It was what he had always wanted since he was fifteen.

"Alright," Kazuya replied, kissing Lee's neck.

Lee moaned and wondered if he was going to wake up soon.

"Listen," Kazuya began. They were standing outside on the balcony. Lee was smoking a cigarette wearing a pair of charcoal colored silk pajama pants. Kazuya was wearing Lee's matching silk robe.

Lee looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"There's something I should tell you. Something you deserve to know," Kazuya began. He saw Lee's facial expression change. Fear.

"My father didn't die during the fight. I didn't break his neck. I thought I had, but I hadn't," Kazuya explained. He focused on continuing to use his soft voice. His human voice. Lee always responded better when he did.

"I don't understand… is he dead?" Lee asked, clearly confused.

"Yes, but… well, you remember what I told you yesterday? About the training incident?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes… Kazuya. You don't mean you-"

"I did. I was just so… overwhelmed," Kazuya lied. He looked down, pretending he felt guilty. He hoped that Lee was gullible and lovestruck enough to believe him.

"But the officials-"

"I fought my way in. I needed to know if he was dead. When he wasn't, I just felt so… terrified. I knew that nothing would ever change. He'd control us till the day he died…or until he decided to have you or I killed and I couldn't accept that anymore. Not after what he did to me. So I threw him off the cliff," Kazuya confessed. Using the speech he had worked on during the car ride to the Compound. It was mostly true. All except for the part about taking down the officials; he had bought them. They had been tasked with maintaining a secure perimeter while he had thrown his still unconscious father off of the cliff.

He watched Lee's facial expression. Fear and… disappointment?

"You think I'm a monster, don't you?" Kazuya asked, willing his voice to waver and his eyes to moisten.

"No… I-I understand," Lee replied, putting out his cigarette. Clearly his little display of emotion was working quite effectively. It was comforting to know that handling Lee would be no problem whatsoever. Comforting, but a little boring. It was hard to believe this man was actually a genius. But then emotions made people stupid. Look what they had done to the old man. His jealousy had led him to make the monumental mistake of having Kazuya injected with a virus that had rendered Kazuya capable of turning around and killing him in cold blood.

Stupid Heihachi. Without the burden of guilt and emotions, it was easy to see that getting rid of Heihachi was the best course of action. He had viewed the Tournament as the perfect opportunity from the moment Lee had told him of Heihachi's plan to hold it. If the old man wanted to see what he was capable of, he had decided he would not disappoint him.

And stupid Lee. Thinking he wanted to relinquish such power and strength to be normal again. It hardly seemed like a wise trade. And believing that he loved him just because he told him so in that honeyed voice even though he knew better. It was laughable, but Lee was a good ally. If he believed that Anna would've been a better one, he would have hung onto her, but as it was, she was useless. A pretty girl with a high level of talent as a martial artist and little else. Lee, on the other hand, was a genius with a Masters in engineering and numerous other invaluable talents and qualities. Additionally, with Heihachi out of the picture, he would never have to compete for Lee's loyalty. In contrast, Richard Williams was still the center of Anna's world. She had inadvertently proven that when he had left for Ireland to be at her ailing father's side right before Kazuya was attacked.

And the sex… well, he was hoping it was going to provide him with carte blanche as far as Lee was concerned. The first test had gone well. When he told Lee that he had thrown Heihachi from the cliff and given him his little speech, Lee claimed he understood. He wanted to laugh. Lee understood nothing. He was terrified, but rendered stupid by his feelings for Kazuya.

Reentering the bedroom, Kazuya took off the robe and got into the bed. It was comfortable. Lee got into bed after him and moved close to him. He wanted to cuddle. Again. Kazuya opened his arms reluctantly and allowed Lee to put his head on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Lee gently. He still found such forms of physical contact agitating, though he had apparently gotten much better at hiding it.

"Goodnight… I love you," Lee told him.

"Love you, too," Kazuya lied, squeezing Lee gently. He hoped the alliance would be worth the incessant irritation.


	14. October 1987

October 1987

Lee sat behind his desk on the forty-ninth floor, swirling a snifter of cognac in his left hand and studying his agenda for the following week. Back to back meetings every day. He sipped his brandy. He felt a tightness in his stomach as he noticed that the next week would mark the first anniversary of the Tournament and Heihachi's death. He wished that he could've said that it had been a great year, filled with positive change both at the Zaibatsu and in his personal life, but in honesty, everything had become exponentially worse.

He hated his job. In the lab, he felt as though he had been doing important things. As the Vice President of the Mishima Zaibatsu, he spent his days auditing departments, watching other people give demonstrations of their important work, and keeping employees from Kazuya. Typically those employees wishing to see Kazuya had valid complaints and concerns, but Lee had learned that no matter the issue, Kauzya's patented solution was to fire the employee who had deigned to bring problems to his attention. It actually reminded Lee a lot of Heihachi, but he was smart enough not to tell Kazuya that. Indeed, Lee spent almost all of his time attempting to solve problems, defending people, and justifying the existence departments to Kazuya in hopes of keeping people employed. It was exhausting and it had begun on the Monday after Heihachi had died after they had returned from their trip downtown to read the will.

Sitting in a conference room at the law office of Nokio & Nokio, Lee hadn't been surprised to see that Kazuya had received controlling interest in the Zaibatsu and that he had inherited the Compound. What surprised him was the he had not been completely disinherited.

"This section," Lee began, tapping his finger on his copy of the will.

"Yes, that section," Kazuya repeated, looking from Heihachi's lawyer, Mr. Nokio, to his financial advisor, Akira Kyamata.

"Your father, probably not realizing that you were going to commit patricide, left you and the orphan a great deal of money in trust. You both inherit on your thirtieth birthday," Akira explained.

Lee sighed. He had met Akira shortly after Heihachi had adopted him and in all that time he didn't think Akira had ever called him by his name. It was always 'the orphan' or 'the Chinese boy.' Once he had overheard Akira refer to him as 'the boy toy.' Hehachi had actually blushed and told him to 'Just shut up.' Lee was sure that Heihachi and Akira had been lovers at some point, though Akira had been married four times. Heihachi had told him that two of the marriages had ended over affairs with men. Heihachi never mentioned whether or not he had been one of the men, but it wouldn't have surprised Lee in the least. A few years older than Heihachi, Akira was handsome, though he had been more handsome prior to getting his face lift, and intelligent. To Lee's knowledge, he was Heihachi's oldest friend.

"I'll take that as the exaggeration of a grieving old queen," Kazuya sneered before nodding towards Lee, "His name is Lee, by the way."

"I am aware. You should be aware that I am in control of the funds you and Lee, the Chinese orphan, stand to inherit on your thirtieth birthday."

"Is that a threat, Mr. Kyamata?" Kazuya demanded icily.

"It's a fact."

"Let me repeat myself. Is that a threat? Because I will do everything in my considerable power to wrest every cent of our money out of your control," Kazuya snarled.

Lee sighed and pushed his hair back with his left hand.

"Mr. Kyamata, I assure you that Heihachi's death was a tragic accident- not murder. And Mr. Nokio," Lee began, turning to the lawyer, "How difficult would it be to take the funds that Heihachi placed in the care of Mr. Kyamata's firm and move them to the control of a different firm?"

"It would be immensely difficult."

Lee nodded and then continued.

"But say the money appeared to be mismanaged. In light of the statements made here today, might it be possible to take action against the party responsible?"

"Certainly. If blatant mismanagement of funds occurred it would be well within your rights to take action," Mr. Nokio replied.

"It would be difficult to prove," Akira replied.

"Perhaps you shouldn't make such insinuations in front of our lawyer," Lee stated, locking eyes with Akira.

"Touche. And I suppose Heihachi did want you to have this money. You did earn it, after all," Akira remarked with a snide smile.

"Don't you dare speak so disrespectfully to him!" Kazuya thundered, pounded his fist hard on the table.

"Don't worry about it, Kazuya," Lee instructed, subsequently turning to Akira. "I'm surprised to be inheriting anything at this juncture, but it's not your job to intrude on family business and make judgments on how deserving we may or may not be. Your job is to protect and grow the deceased's financial assets if possible. Please continue to do this with the expertise and professionalism that you've always displayed prior to this."

"I will. It's what he apparently wanted. Who the Hell knows why?" Akira replied bitterly, shaking his head.

"I'm his son; that's a good enough reason," Kazuya replied.

"I suppose it is. If it was good enough for him, it's good enough for me," Akira agreed, admitting defeat.

"Good then. I'm glad we've got this settled. Mr. Nokio, is there anything else? I have a schedule to keep," Lee said, looking to the less than helpful lawyer.

"No, Mr. Chaolan. My condolences again. Your guardian was a truly great man."

Lee wanted to laugh. Nobody who know Heihachi well would have agreed that he was a great man. Instead, Lee nodded before turning to Akira.

"Is there anything else, Mr. Kyamata?"

"When is the funeral?"

Lee looked to Kazuya. This had been a point of contention between them since the previous morning. Lee had argued that for appearances sake there needed to be a funeral. Kazuya had claimed it wasn't necessary. Kazuya glared back at Lee, clearly annoyed that he had apparently been correct and then looked to Akira.

"Wednesday. My secretary will be in touch."

Akira nodded and got up to leave.

"My condolences, Mr. Mishima," Mr. Nokio stated.

Kazuya merely nodded. Lee hoped he didn't do that 'great man' bit again or Kazuya might explode.

"If you ever run into problems with Mr. Kyamata, let me know," Mr. Nokio stated once Akira had left the room.

"Why? So Lee can handle it?" Kazuya sneered, get up from the table.

Mr. Nokio's face reddened.

"Thank you, Mr. Nokio. We will," Lee replied swiftly, shooting Kazuya a look.

Kazuya merely shrugged in reply.

Mr. Nokio excused himself from the conference room and Lee walked to the coat rack in the corner and put his black wool fall jacket on over his black suit.

"You alright?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah," Lee lied.

"You angry about the will?"

"No… like I said, I didn't think I'd get anything. And what's more, I don't care about anything," Lee replied.

"You got your way on the funeral."

"Yes… Kazuya, let's not talk about this here," Lee said. He was sure the conversation about the funeral would be an interesting one, seeing as Kazuya had in fact murdered Heihachi by throwing him off a cliff. Lee supposed he had a lot of questions to ask that he had no desire to know the answers to.

Kazuya nodded as he finished buttoning his black overcoat.

"When were you thinking of going to a funeral home?" Lee asked, once they were in the Stringray.

"I suppose we could go now if you're ready."

"I actually had an interview scheduled with the boy from the _Japan Times_- about VEST. I thought I'd keep the appointment- try to get some positive press for the Zaibatsu," Lee replied, lighting a cigarette.

"Right… listen. Perhaps I ought to do the interview with you," Kazuya suggested.

"You want to do the interview?" Lee asked, incredulous. Kazuya hated talking to the press. He had made it clear that he thought it was a waste of his time and part of the job of the Public Relations Department to keep the press away from him. Lee didn't know what to make of Kazuya's offer.

"With you. You're right. It's a good chance for some positive press for the Zaibatsu. I suppose I'm going to need to talk to the press at some point and what better way than in a brief encounter with some lackey from the _Times_?" Kazuya reasoned, as he merged onto the highway.

"Agreed… but Kazuya, what do you plan to say if he asks you about Heihachi's death?" Lee asked.

"It was a tragic accident," Kazuya replied with distinct indifference.

"And the Jack Robots?"

"A product that the Zaibatsu is committed to improving for the defense of the state. The Tournament was one of the first tests in a long series of many necessary trials to make the product fit for use," Kazuya replied.

"The future of the Zaibatsu?" Lee asked. He wanted to know for himself as much as he wanted to know what Kazuya planned to tell the reporter.

"As the CEO, I plan to lead the Zaibatsu in a new direction. I'd like to shift the focus towards making advances in medical technologies- things like the prosthetic limbs you've been working on," Kazuya replied.

Lee wondered if that was still Kazuya's intention. It always had been, but Lee didn't know what to think anymore.

"Kazuya, it's a good answer but you're not CEO yet. The board has to vote," Lee pointed out after a moment.

Kazuya laughed.

"Who do you think would oppose me? Who else would they vote for? You? No… they'll vote for me," Kazuya asserted.

"More than likely, yes, but look at what happened with Akira today at the lawyer's office. Incidents like that may happen again," Lee warned.

"Can you believe the nerve of that man? Perhaps I should-"

"No, Kazuya. Please don't do anything. Let it drop."

"After what he implied about you?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes… he… I think he and your father had a relationship. I think he may have been jealous of me. I don't know," Lee explained feebly, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"He called me a murderer and you a whore."

"I'm asking you to let it drop," Lee repeated.

"If that's really what you want, but if he screws us over, we won't be talking to Mr. Nokio. He will answer to me," Kazuya stated firmly and then added, "Nobody will oppose me as CEO."

"Probably not," Lee agreed.

"I want you to take my old job."

"No thanks. I'd contribute a lot more to the Zaibatsu by continuing my work in the lab," Lee replied.

"Perhaps, but I'd really like you to be the Vice President. It'll come with a salary increase… you can get a new desk. I'll even throw in one of those things with the balls you can put on it."

Lee smirked.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Yes, a Newton's Cradle. That's what they're called."

"Yeah, but I'll throw in the other thing, too, if it means you'll take the job," Kazuya flirted with a smile, taking the exit for the Industrial Park.

"Isn't there anyone else?"

"No. You're the only one I trust," Kazuya replied.

Lee sighed, finishing his cigarette and throwing the butt out the window.

"I don't know that I'm qualified to be the Vice President."

"It's not that hard. Meet with people who want to meet with me and decide whether or not it's worth my time. Conduct inspections and audits- keep people on their toes. Scare them a little bit. You might want to work on your mean face," Kazuya suggested.

Lee pouted. He had no interest whatsoever in being the Vice President of the Zaibatsu.

"Now don't do that… or the thing you do with your hair or the thing where you jam yours hands in your pockets. That doesn't say mean scary boss. That says temperamental teenage girl," Kazuya said.

Lee gave Kazuya a smoldering, annoyed glare.

"Better."

"Jackass. I don't want to be the Vice President."

"Please… it's really important to me. If you really loved me, you'd do it," Kazuya stated, sounding just as indifferent as he had during the practice interview when he had proclaimed Heihachi's death a tragic accident.

"Fuck you. That's not fair."

"What's unfair about it? You're either loyal to me or you're not," Kazuya argued, turning into the driveway of the Zaibatsu.

"Kazuya, you know how I feel about you. I don't want to be the Vice President of the Zaibatsu. I need time to work on reversing your condition and I'm not going to be able to do that sitting in some office," Lee asserted.

"Oh, is that all? You can have a team that works on that. They can report to you. You can take all the blood you want. I'll cooperate with you in exchange for your acceptance of the position."

Lee sighed and ran his left hand through his fair. He back was against the wall. He didn't have to ask what would happen if he didn't accept.

Kazuya turned to him after parking the car and waited for his answer.

"Yes, Kazuya, I'll do it, but you better mean what you're saying," Lee told him.

"Of course."

"Let's go inside before we're late for this damn interview," Lee declared, looking at his watch. It was 10:14.

"Fine… this reporter. You say he's from the _Japan Times_?" Kazuya asked, as they walked towards the entrance of the Zaibatsu.

"Yes. His name is Hideki Yamata. Graduated from Tokyo University in May. He's been at the paper for four months. He writes features on science and technology."

"You did your homework then?"

"Yes," Lee replied.

"You'll never guess who that reminds me of," Kazuya commented, opening the door for Lee.

"He wasn't wrong about everything," Lee replied, walking through the door.

Kazuya gave a single begrudging nod.

As they approached the desk, Sayumi looked shocked to see them.

"Mr. Mishima, Mr. Chaolan, my condolences. Is there anything I can do?" Sayumi asked.

"Can you get me some coffee- cream, no sugar," Kazuya replied.

"Of course, sir," Sayumi replied, turning to Lee.

"No thank you, Sayumi," Lee replied. He looked at his watch again. 10:19. He was beginning to wonder if Hideki thought the interview was cancelled.

"Where is this little dweeb?" Kazuya asked, gently elbowing Lee in the side.

"I don't know, Kazuya. It's not 10:30 yet, but maybe he thought that given the circumstances, I wouldn't have been available for the interview."

"You would've called."

"Yes, but he doesn't know me. Perhaps I should've- oh, there he is. Oh- he sees me. He's running. Geez," Lee said, suppressing a grin as he watched the young reporter scurry to the door of the Zaibatsu.

"This'll be easier than I thought," Kazuya stated.

"Be nice," Lee demanded, watching Hideki open the door and walk in.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Chaolan. I wasn't sure you'd be here today in light of Saturday's events. My condolences."

"Thank you, Hideki. In addition to speaking about VEST today, I was wondering if you would like the opportunity to speak with my brother and me about the future of the Zaibatsu," Lee offered, motioning to Kazuya.

"Your brother?" Hideki asked, turning to Kazuya. He was clearly somewhat dazed by the turn of events.

"Yes. I don't think you two met. Hideki Yamata, Kazuya Mishima," Lee introduced.

"My condolences, Sir," Hideki stated, shaking hands with Kazuya.

"Thank you. Now were you interested or not? If not, I've things to do," Kazuya snapped.

"Kazuya," Lee reprimanded.

"Of course. I am greatly honored by this opportunity."

"Thank you. Shall we begin?" Lee asked.

"No. Hang on. Coffee," Kazuya replied.

"Oh. Yes. Hideki, did you want a beverage of any sort before we began?" Lee offered.

"No thank you," Hideki replied. Lee was relieved to see Sayumi approaching with Kazuya's coffee.

"That took a long time," Kazuya stated matter-of-factly as Sayumi handed him the coffee.

"Sorry, Sir," Sayumi replied, looking down.

"Kazuya," Lee reprimanded again.

Kazuya took a sip of his coffee and raised his eyebrows at Lee.

"Be polite."

"Thank you," Kazuya said, eyes flashing, clearly irritated by the scolding.

"You're welcome," Sayumi replied. She looked like she wanted to cry.

"Shall we begin?" Lee repeated.

"Proceed," Kazuya replied. Hideki merely nodded.

As he passed Sayumi's desk, Lee gave her a slight smile and said, "Thank you, dear."

She returned his smile and nodded in response.

With that, Lee took Hideki on the same brief tour of the Zaibatsu that newly arrived interns went on, followed by a jaunt to the thirty-seventh floor where Lee did his standard fifteen minute presentation on VEST. He remembered the first time he had practiced the presentation for Heihachi. He drew about six trees, played with a laser pointer he'd found on Lee's desk, and then proclaimed him brilliant. It all seemed so long ago. Well, it was about three years before. It had been a while.

After answering a few questions about VEST, Lee turned to Kazuya and Kazuya nodded at him.

"If you're satisfied with you inquiries regarding VEST, we can begin our discussion regarding the future of the Zaibatsu," Lee prompted.

"Of course… in the wake of your father's untimely passing, how do you envision the future of the Mishima Zaibatsu?" Hideki asked, looking at Lee the entire time he spoke and then turning to Kazuya when he was done.

Slightly confused at who was supposed to answer, Lee motioned to Kazuya to answer the question.

"My intention is to lead the Zaibatsu into an unprecedented era of prosperity. I plan to direst more focus towards medical technologies and the like. Things that will help people. For instance, another project that Lee has been working on has been the development of robotic prosthetic limbs. Highly functional, as well as aesthetically superior to lines offered by the competition. Also, look at me when you're talking to me," Kazuya demanded.

Lee shot Kazuya a look as Hideki apologized. He couldn't help but wonder if Kazuya meant anything he was saying. It had always been what he had wanted to do with the company, but that was before Heihachi had him attacked and experimented on.

"And products like VEST?" Hideki asked.

"The Zaibatsu will continue to produce entertainment products and systems. While I'm interested in ultimately leading the Zaibatsu toward a future where medical technology and the like are the prime focus, I'm not interested in cancelling projects and laying off entire departments. More than anything, I'm interested in prosperity and stability. Slow transitions are necessary to ensure this," Kazuya replied.

"What about products like the Jack Robots that the Zaibatsu premiered at the Tournament?" Hideki asked.

"What about them?" Kazuya returned.

"Do you plan to continue to produce military technologies like the Jack Robots?" Hideki rephrased. Lee almost wanted to laugh. The reporter sounded like he was repeating a question for a Magic 8 Ball after being told to try his question again.

"Again, in the interest of stability and keeping people employed, I don't plan to make sweeping changes and cancel programs. Additionally, technologies like the Jack Robots will be used solely for the national defense," Kazuya replied.

"If I may interject," Lee began, looking to Kazuya for approval. Kazuya gave a single nod. Hideki looked to him. "With such sophisticated robotic technology, high risk occupations like firefighting or coal mining may be accomplished by robots not unlike those that premiered at the Tournament."

"Putting entire industries out of work," Hideki responded.

"Don't be ridiculous of course not," Kazuya replied swiftly. "The revolutionizing of industry through the introduction of new technologies may result in the loss of some jobs, but it will reduce the number of lives lost. A family can recover from the loss of a job, but it cannot always recover from the much more significant loss of a family member."

Lee raised his eyebrows, surprised by Kazuya's explanation, watching Hideki nod as he scribbled away on a notepad. Kazuya smirked at him and waited for Hideki to ask his next question.

"You speak about the Zaibatsu's future as if you anticipate having complete control… have you been named CEO of the company?"

"Not as of yet, but I inherited a controlling interest in the company and I fully anticipate my election as CEO to take place tomorrow without any issue," Kazuya replied.

"No on poses a challenge?" Hideki asked, inadvertently glancing at Lee.

"No. I will be the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu," Kazuya stated firmly.

Hideki nodded.

"Do either of you plan to continue to fight in tournaments?" Hideki asked.

"No," Lee replied. He hadn't even wanted to fight in that one.

"Yes, of course. What happened to my father was a tragic accident, but he understood the inherent risks of participating in tournaments and he would never want me to give up fighting because of what happened," Kazuya replied, lying confidently about the 'tragic accident' that had befallen his father. Hideki nodded sympathetically.

"Is there anything else?" Kazuya asked.

"No. I have enough here. Thank you again, Sir, for this opportunity. I am grateful," Hideki reiterated.

"You are welcome," Kazuya replied.

"If you're ready then, I can walk you out," Lee suggested to Hideki.

"Thank you," Hideki replied, putting his notebook into his bag. Lee led Hideki back to the elevator in silence.

"Thank you, Mr. Chaolan, for this incredible opportunity. I enjoyed your presentation on VEST very much. Perhaps sometime I could do a piece on those robotic limbs?" Hideki suggested.

"Perhaps," Lee replied somewhat crossly, thinking about himself as the Vice President while the project ended up in other hands.

"I'm sorry about pushing your girlfriend at the Tournament."

"She's not my girlfriend, but thank you," Lee replied. He wasn't affronted. It was an easy mistake.

"One more thing…do you think there's any chance that your brother won't be elected CEO of the Zaibatsu?" Hideki asked.

"I will not answer that question," Lee replied.

"It's off the record. Between you and me, if Mr. Mishima isn't going to be the CEO it would be much better for me to write the story about VEST and say nothing about everything else we covered. This is a great opportunity for me and the _Times_, but not if it turns out to be false. I'm just trying to get a better sense of whether or not to write the story," Hideki explained.

Lee thought for a moment. The elevator doors opened.

"I would be extremely surprised if anyone challenged his election and if they did, I think he would prevail just the same," Lee replied.

"Thank you again, Mr. Chaolan."

"My pleasure," Lee replied, walking the reporter through the foyer to the glass doors.

"And I'd like to reiterate my condolences on the loss of your father."

"Thank you," Lee replied with a nod.

Hideki nodded back and exited the building. Lee turned and began to walk back towards the elevator in order to retrieve Kazuya from the lab, but he had evidently left just after him and was standing at the Koi pond waiting.

"Hey, who takes care of this thing?" Kazuya asked as Lee walked over to him and stood at his side.  
"Well, Sayumi feeds the fish during the day and the maintenance crew feeds them at night and makes sure all the systems are working properly. Once a month someone from the company that installed it comes in and runs tests, makes sure everything is in good working order. Why?" Lee asked, looking into the pond. Everything seemed fine.

"The smell. Perhaps I ought to get rid of it once I'm CEO."

Lee sniffed the air. He had no idea what Kazuya was talking about.

"Kazuya, I don't smell anything."

"Smoking damages your sense of smell," Kazuya replied dismissively. "Did you know that Koi are part of the carp family?"

"Yeah… so?" Lee asked.

"Don't you have a good recipe for smoked carp?" Kazuya asked in response."

"Yes… but these are ornamental fish. You named one of them… they're like pets. Even if you chose to get rid of the Koi Pond, we wouldn't eat the fish," Lee replied emphatically.

Kazuya shrugged.

"People live like that on farms and you're awfully picky all of a sudden for a person whose eaten rats."

Lee pouted and jammed his hands in his pockets. Kazuya should've known better than to bring that up at a time like this.

"Oh, come on… I bet Elvis would be tasty."

"No… and for the record, I don't have any recipes for bear, either," Lee said.

Kazuya smiled and laughed his cold laugh.

"Come on. Let's get going then. We have a funeral to plan. Just call the maintenance crew when we're back on Thursday to make sure everything's in working order with the Koi Pond, okay?"

"Okay," Lee replied as they started to walk towards the doors. "Kazuya… is the smell new? Did you ever notice it before?"

"No, I guess I haven't. Why? What?" Kazuya asked.

"Is there anything else that you're noticing that you've never noticed before?"

"I don't know… I'll think about it. Why?"

"I'm just wondering if yours senses have been affected."

"Oh. Well, if I notice anything, I'll let you know," Kazuya replied.

Lee nodded as Kazuya held the door open for him and they walked outside. It was cool and breezy, but the sun shone brightly.

"Kazuya," Lee began once they were inside the car.

"Yeah?"

"Where do you plan to live?" Lee asked, taking his cigarettes from his coat pocket and opening his window slightly.

"The Compound. It's mine now."

"Yes, I know," Lee replied, lighting his cigarette.

"Something wrong?" Kazuya asked.

"No… nothing, well… if you want me to stay with you- I can't- we can't sleep in the master suite," Lee replied.

"Why not?" Kazuya demanded.

"Because… it was bad enough that we were in there that first night… I would have never gone there if I'd know that was going to happen."

"Oh. So that's why we slept in your room last night? Your bed is hard as a rock. I much prefer the other one."

"Yes, but I can't sleep there with you. Sorry. I just can't."

"You can as evidenced by Saturday night, but I digress. Why should I give up what's rightfully mine and comfortable?" Kazuya demanded.

"If you really loved me, you'd do it," Lee replied with a smirk, throwing Kazuya's words back at him and taking a long drag on his cigarette.

"Cute," Kazuya replied sarcastically."

"Kazuya… you wouldn't want to sleep with me on Anna's bed if she died, would you?"

"No… she has a water bed. I detest it. If she had that bed though, I'd be glad to," Kazuya stated.

"Well… it's not the same ick factor, but still. We can order another mattress just like that one. I remember where I ordered it from."

"And put it where?"

"We'll set up the Master Suite in the East Wing."

"Does it have a balcony? I was also partial to the balcony."

"One of them does… overlooking the pool. I'll look into it."

"Please do. You're such a pain in the ass, you know," Kazuya replied, signaling to get off the highway.

Lee shrugged.

"Or I can leave."

"Do not start that again. Leave or don't, but this can't be it every time we have a disagreement. I need to be able to count on you. If I can't then just leave, but if I can, you need to stop with his here and now," Kazuya demanded, eyes staring straight ahead at the road.

Lee sighed.

Kazuya looked over at him.

"I'll stay as long as you want me to," Lee replied meekly.

"Good… and we can switch rooms because I care about your happiness," Kazuya said.

Lee nodded in response. He wasn't sure he believed that. As he finished his cigarette and tossed the butt out the window, he wondered what funeral home they were going to. "Kazuya, where are we going?"

"Yamamoto and Son Funeral Home. I received a recommendation," Kazuya replied. Lee sat back as the reality of the situation came rushing back to him. Heihachi was dead. Kazuya had killed him. There had been no 'tragic accident.' Saying it a million times wouldn't make it true. Kazuya had killed him for vengeance and because he hated him. Now they were going to go plan his funeral. Lee needed a drink.

When Kazuya parked in the lot of Yamamoto and Son Funeral Home, Lee got out of the car mechanically and walked in beside Kazuya. Upon entering, a young woman led them back to Mr. Yamamoto's office.

"Mr. Yamamoto," Kazuya began, locking eyes with the funeral director, "Agent Yashida highly recommended your services."

"Yes, he was telling me that he might have a referral for me. It's my understanding that your father perished as a result of an unfortunate accident during a tournament. What a shame. My condolences," Mr. Yamamoto stated.

"Yes, thank you."

"It is my further understanding that recovery efforts have failed to turn up the deceased."

Kazuya nodded. Lee's stomach turned as he thought of 'the deceased,' mangled and rotting at the bottom of the cliff. He had loved that man.

"A funeral such as this… where such sensitive information is being kept from the public and the press is not an inexpensive affair," Mr. Yamamoto said with a slight smile.

"I'm aware. Agent Yashida informed me that your services and discretion are costly, but well worth it. I am choosing to trust his judgment. I am hoping that I am correct in doing so," Kazuya replied pointedly.

"Indeed. Your trust is well placed. If I might offer a suggestion?"

Kazuya nodded.

"Perhaps given the amount of time it took the emergency vehicles to reach the top of mountain, perhaps the deceased had already begun to decompose, thus making a closed casket funeral an absolute necessity."

Kazuya nodded again, that cold smile spreading across his face.

Lee couldn't take it anymore.

"Kazuya- can you do this without me?" Lee asked. His head felt light and his stomach was churning. And they were so fucking casual.

"Yes. Are you alright?" Kazuya asked, almost pulling off a look of concern.

"Yes… fine," Lee lied, dashing out of the office, down the hall, and outside just in time to vomit behind a bush. When he was through, he sat down weakly on the curb to wait for Kazuya. He wished he had never left. No matter what Nina said or however much Kazuya and Heihachi hated each other, this would have never happened if he hadn't left. It was all his fault. He felt like crying, but instead sat on the curb chain smoking until Kazuya emerged from the funeral home about forty-five minutes later.

"Hey… don't you have keys to the car?" Kazuya asked, sitting down on the curb on Lee's right side.

"Yes. I just wanted to sit here," Lee replied.

"Are you okay?"

"No," Lee answered honestly, shaking his head and putting out his cigarette.

Kazuya sighed and put his arm around Lee's shoulders.

"I understand. You felt indebted to him and you loved him, but I hated him. And the feeling was mutual. After what he did to me… perhaps I'm indebted as well. I never would have been able to do what I did without what he had done to me."

"I just wish it had never happened. That I'd never left and everything was like it was."

"That's no good. You can't take back the past and you deserved your freedom not matter how that twisted old man made you feel," Kazuya told him.

"I've ruined everything."

"No," Kazuya replied firmly.

"Kazuya… did the funeral director say that they haven't found the body yet?" Lee asked, locking eyes with Kazuya.

"Yes, but they will."

"Kazuya… you survived being thrown from that cliff as a child. Did it occur to you that he may have-"

"No. He's dead," Kazuya declared resolutely.  
"Most likely," Lee agreed. Clearly the thought had occurred to Kazuya before.

"And if he's not, I'll kill him. But he is, so the point is moot," Kazuya stated dismissively.

"I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of the possibility."

"Well, thank you, but there isn't much of one," Kazuya replied, clearly disturbed by the possibility that Lee had posed.

Lee nodded.

"You look exhausted…unwell. Let's go. You ought to get some rest," Kazuya stated, helping him up and walking him back to the passenger side of the Corvette. Lee got into the car and closed his eyes.

When they arrived back at the Compound, Kazuya walked him upstairs. Lee noticed the stares of servants they passed on the way to the staircase, but he didn't care. Upon entering his old bedroom, Kazuya instructed him as if he were a child.

"Go brush your teeth. I'll lay out your pajamas."

Lee nodded and obeyed. Once in his violet colored silk pajamas, Lee got into the bed. Kazuya sat beside him and began to stroke his hair. His touch almost felt human again.

"I think you should get some rest for a few hours. I'll wake you up around dinnertime, okay?" Kazuya asked.

"Yes… that will be fine," Lee replied.

"There's nothing you need right now?"

"No."

"Alright," Kazuya replied, ceasing to stroke his hair and beginning to get up to leave.

"Can you stay a little while longer?" Lee asked.

Kazuya chuckled softly at the request.

"Fine, but in a few minutes I'm leaving and you're getting some rest."

"Alright," Lee replied, taking Kazuya's hand and placing it on his head. Kazuya resume stroking his hair gently. After a few minutes he began to feel relaxed and sleepy. Kazuya smiled slightly, leaning towards him and gently kissing him on the forehead.

"Get some rest."

"Okay."

Kazuya turned off the lamp and left the room. Minutes later, Lee drifted off into much needed sleep.

By the time the door creaked open and the lamp turned on, Lee sat up feeling quite refreshed. He was entirely surprised to see Kazuya carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and a cup of tea on it.

"Feeling any better?" Kazuya asked, placing the tray over Lee's legs and sitting down next to him.

"A bit," Lee replied, examining the tray. He wasn't hungry.

"I made you vegetable soup from your recipe. I tried some… it's not bad. The mushrooms could be a bit more cooked, but not bad for a first attempt."

"You made soup?" Lee asked.

"Yeah. I did. You act like I told you I just discovered life on other planets or something. Sheesh. I'm not stupid."

"I know you're not. Just surprised by your thoughtfulness."

"What can I say? I'm a thoughtful guy," Kazuya flirted with a smile.

Lee tried the soup… it wasn't bad. Kazuya had been right about the mushrooms, but overall it wasn't bad.

"Well?"

"Well, it's good. I mean, you were right about the mushrooms and I know you used the ground ginger instead of the fresh, but that's alright. And you used different noodles then I would've, but to each his own."

"Only you can taste the difference between fresh and ground ginger, you know that? Where would one find fresh ginger anyway?"

"It's in a big, clear jar in the cabinet with the spices and things. It's a tannish colored root. The grater is hanging from a hook on the cabinet door. You probably saw it when you grabbed the ground version."

"Maybe, Why the Hell do you know about all this cooking stuff anyway?"

Lee shrugged.

"It interested me… so I watched the caterers and chefs and cooking shows… read some books. Your father taught me how to chop vegetables. He was incredible with a knife.

Kazuya shook his head and laughed slightly.

"Sometimes I feel like we didn't know the same man."

"In a way, I don't think we did," Lee agreed.

"For the life of me, I can't imagine why he'd even know how to do that."

Lee shrugged and took another bite of the soup.

"Before he married your mother, your father had a relationship with another man. I think they lived together and I think he was cut off until he did as your grandfather wanted and married your mother."

"I can't imagine him like that… young, stupid- almost human."

Lee shrugged again.

"And I couldn't imagine him ever doing serious harm to either of us," Lee commented bitterly.

"We saw what he wanted us to see," Kazuya stated, and then added, "It's not your fault."

Lee took a sip of his tea.

"Listen," Kazuya began.

Lee took a deep breath and braced himself. What now?

"I let the servants go."

"You're kidding."

"No… they worked for my father. And I didn't like the way they were looking at us when we came in," Kazuya replied.

"Kazuya… some of those people have been here longer than I have."

"Some of them have been here longer than _I_ have. All the more reason to let them go," Kazuya replied.

"Up till I left, those people answered to me. I can't believe there would have been an issue with their compliance."

"Well, regardless… we'll start again fresh. I can tell from the way they were looking at us when I helped you up the stairs that they had their thoughts."

"Yeah… and they were some that knew about your father and me and probably lots with thoughts, but nobody ever said anything… not to either of us and not to the press or whoever it is you're worried about," Lee stated, crossing his arms and leaning back.

"Fine… but we don't need so many servants. A lot of the house can essentially be closed off. We're only really going to live in a small part of it and I value privacy."

"Kazuya, why don't we just live in your penthouse then? Keep the cleaning lady who comes in twice a week and I'll do the rest. It's okay if you don't want to live here. You can sell it for all that I care," Lee told him.

"I don't want to sell it. I want to live here, but I don't think it's necessary to keep the house as if we're constantly expecting Robin Leach to drop by to film an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." I can't believe that the old man didn't think it was a waste to keep it like this."

"_I _liked it this way," Lee stated firmly.

"And he indulged you, but I intend to scale back. I'm sorry if it doesn't suit you, but I won't give in to your every whim like he did, so you might as well get used to it," Kazuya sneered.

Lee looked down, feeling defeated, weak, and sad. The old Kazuya would've never spoken to him this way.  
"Listen," Kazuya began softly after a moment.

Lee looked at him.

"I just want privacy. I don't want any staff to live here. I want to be alone… with you. I don't need the house to be ready for guests or entertaining. I don't feel like playing the gracious host. I want to be left alone," Kazuya explained.

"Perhaps it would be better not to live here, Kazuya."

Kazuya shook his head.

"In spite of everything, I'm drawn to this place."

Lee nodded. He understood.

Kazuya smiled at him slightly.

"I apologize. Don't be angry. It's been a hard day."

Lee nodded. It had been an exceedingly hard day.

"Doesn't your tub have jets?"

Lee nodded again, his heart beating faster, somewhat appalled with himself. This couldn't be any easier for Kazuya.

Kazuya leaned over and kissed him gently.

"I'll run a bath. Finish your soup."

Lee sighed. He wasn't hungry, but he lacked the will to protest. Kazuya was in complete control.

The following morning, the members of the board unanimously selected Kazuya Mishima as the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu. His first act as CEO was to appoint Lee to his previous position as Vice President of the Zaibatsu. Lee could barely contain himself as the room of foolish, obsequious old men congratulated Kazuya on his fine choice. Nobody argued that he would do more good for the company in the lab than in the forty-ninth floor office. Nobody had the spine to stand up to him.

After the meeting concluded, Lee went outside to smoke a cigarette and sulk by the side of the building. He was so overwrought with concerns about the funeral, his new job, and Kazuya that he nearly walked into someone exiting the elevator.

"Oh… sorry," Lee apologized, looking up. It was Ayame. She looked upset. She was holding a box. Lee frowned. He had a feeling that if Kazuya were to explain what had happened he would begin the story with the word 'Listen.'

"Ayame, you're leaving us?" Lee asked, taking the girl gently by the arm and leading her to the Koi Pond. He sat down on the edge and she did the same.

"Yes. Your brother fired me… he said he didn't need me. He's going to keep Haruna as his secretary. I guess I should have expected this… I just hoped…" Ayame trailed off and began to sob,

Lee quickly embraced her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chaolan. I know this isn't your concern," Ayame told him, sitting up and attempting to collect herself.

"Ayame, my brother wasn't thinking. In my new position as Vice President, I'll need a secretary. In my previous position, I didn't have one. I thought he'd realize and just reassign you, but in his state, I guess the thought didn't cross his mind. Would you like to be my secretary?" Lee asked.

Ayame nodded emphatically.

Lee smiled at her. It was nice to help someone who appreciated it.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding. I would also like to apologize on Kazuya's behalf. As a show of my appreciation, I'd like to give you a ten percent raise effective immediately. Given the stress of this morning, you're more than welcome to take a break, get some coffee, and collect yourself. You could take the rest of the day if need be. I understand how difficult this must've been," Lee told her, continuing to smile sympathetically.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Chaolan. I'll get some coffee and I'll be right up. Did you want anything?" Ayame asked, standing up.

"No, thank you. I'll bring your things up to your desk," Lee told her, picking up the box from the floor.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lee told her and then proceeded to the elevator. After dropping off Ayame's box of belongings on her desk, Lee continued to the fiftieth floor.

"Hello, Haruna. Is my brother available?"

"He's meeting with a decorator presently," Haruna replied.

Lee sighed and pushed his left hand through his hair. It figured.

"He did want you to see this," Haruna said, holding out a copy of The _Japan Times_. Below the fold, but still on the front page, Lee saw Hideki's story: "A New Era for the Mishima Zaibatsu- Kazuya Mishima Promises Prosperity and Stability." Lee skimmed the story. It was exactly as Kazuya had wanted. Easy, positive press for the Zaibatsu. Lee had to wonder how often Kazuya would be refused anything again. And he was no better than the rest. He couldn't help himself. Lee walked to the office door with Haruna reiterating that Kazuya was meeting with a decorator. Without responding to her, Lee walked into the office. He raised his eyebrows upon seeing a gorgeous young woman sitting on the desk next to a catalog that Kazuya was looking at. With jealously flaring, Lee noted her short skirt and red nail polish. Kazuya had always been a sucker for red nails.

"Hello, Mr. Vice President. What do you think of burgundy?" Kazuya asked, without questioning Lee on his unannounced entrance into the office.

"For?" Lee asked stiffly.

"The carpet," Kazuya replied.

"It should look nice," Lee said, walking over to the desk and standing behind Kazuya. Apparently he was deciding on desks now.

"Left side, third row, second one in," Lee suggested quietly.

"For me or you?" Kazuya asked, looking up at him.

"You. The black with the gold accents will look sharp with the burgundy," Lee replied.

Kazuya nodded.

"I'll think about it. Now, what are you here to see me about?" Kazuya asked.

"Private matters," Lee lied. He wanted the girl gone.

Kazuya nodded again.

"Mai, if you'll excuse us."

"Certainly, Sir," Mai replied, standing up and walking out of the office with a pout.

"What is it?" Kazuya asked once Mai had closed the door behind her.

"I asked Ayame to be my secretary," Lee replied.

"Oh. Good."

"Kazuya… I wish you'd try to think a bit more about your actions and the consequences and how they affect others," Lee said.

Kazuya stared blankly at him in response.

"You could always ask me if you're not sure."

"That would imply that I answer to you and I don't."

"It wouldn't. I'm just trying to help you appear more yourself," Lee explained.

"I'll keep the option in mind… now what else did you need to see me about?"

"Nothing… I don't like that trampy girl sitting on the desk," Lee blurted.

Kazuya laughed his cold laugh.

"I should've known. Don't worry about that. Please. I'm sure there are much more constructive things for you to worry about. Did you like the article?" Kazuya asked, dismissing Lee's concerns about the girl.

"Yes. I only hope that we live up to the goals we have set so publicly," Lee replied.

"See… you can worry about that. Of calling the Koi Pond place or what we're going to have for lunch."

"I'm not hungry."

"You never are. You haven't been since you came back to Japan, but you need to eat. Order something. Bring it up at noon," Kazuya instructed.

Lee merely nodded and obeyed.

The following day was the funeral. After tossing and turning for most of the night, Lee awoke at 6:58, shutting off his seven o'clock alarm. He looked over at Kazuya. He was still sleeping peacefully. Lee supposed he'd make some breakfast and then wake him up. He wasn't hungry, but he knew Kazuya would be.

Once in the kitchen, Lee went about making coffee. He put the kettle on for oatmeal. He knew it was wrong, but he approached the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of brandy. He went to the cabinet and grabbed a snifter and poured a glass with unsteady, guilt ridden hands. Perhaps Heihachi had been right about the drinking, Lee thought, putting away the brandy bottle and walking out to the deck to smoke a cigarette while he drank. Perhaps, but there was no other way that he was going to get through this day. He looked toward the rising sun and the mountains where _it _happened. He felt cold, sad, and frightened. He wondered what else Kazuya might be capable of either through his cruelty or indifference. He wondered how long before he was the victim of Kazuya's malevolence. Perhaps he already was. He couldn't help but question Kazuya's motives as far as their relationship was concerned, but he was powerless against Kazuya's still considerable charms. It was as if he was learning to be human again, though Lee had the sinking suspicion it may no longer be possible.

Slugging down the last of his drink before reentering the house, Lee washed and dried the glass and put it away. After taking the kettle off the stove, he went to the cabinets, reached into the back and pulled out a metal flask. Pulling a funnel out of a drawer, Lee returned to the liquor cabinet and filled the flask with cognac with a sigh. Not the best way to honor the deceased he thought as he hid the flask in his jacket for later. Returning to the kitchen, Lee carefully put the brandy bottle back in its place and washed and dried the funnel and put it away. Satisfied that he'd done a good job in hiding his vice, Lee went about making the oatmeal. He heard Kazuya walking down the stairs. He was glad he'd already finished with the brandy.

"Morning," Kazuya stated, walking into the kitchen in black pajama bottoms.

"Good morning," Lee replied as Kazuya approached him and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Already?" Kazuya asked, giving Lee a critical look.

"This is hard for me," Lee replied. He'd been caught. There was no use attempting to cover it up.

"Fine… but after this, no more drinking before noon. That's the trademark of an alcoholic loser."

Lee nodded. He was a little disappointed in himself, too.

"As it is, you drink too much already," Kazuya commented, getting two coffee cups from the cupboard.

"Your father thought so," Lee replied.

"Well, as you said, he wasn't wrong about everything," Kazuya quipped.

Lee brought the oatmeal to the table without a word. It was going to be a long day. After doing the breakfast dishes, Lee took an unapologetic slug from the bottle of cognac. If he was going to be called a drunk, he might as well fit the part.

At the funeral home, Lee stood with Kazuya by the empty, ornate closed coffin. As he thanked business associates innumerable for their condolences, he continued to wonder about the whereabouts of the body. It seemed strange that the government had been unsuccessful in their recovery efforts. He wondered at his own doubt. Perhaps part of him hoped that Heihachi had survived. But to what end? Nothing could ever be the same again.

After excusing himself to the men's room where he downed a third of the contents of his flask, Lee reentered the viewing chamber where Nina promptly dashed over to him out of nowhere.

"Are you alright? You haven't returned my calls. You look horrible," Nina stated, grabbing him and embracing him hard.

"I've been drinking since I got up," Lee explained, continuing to hug Nina. It was the easiest way to talk to her privately in such a setting.

"Aye. I can smell that," Nina replied.

"Two things," Lee began, catching a glimpse of a gaunt looking Richard Williams walking in with Anna on his right arm. To his surprise, Aiden walked on Richard's left side. "Kazuya threw him from the cliff…alive. There's no body. And Kazuya and I- _it _happened."

"Really?" Nina asked.

"Yes. On both counts. Only don't tell anyone," Lee replied, letting her go.

"I won't. Is this what you want? Are you happy?" Nina asked, locking eyes with him.

Lee shrugged. He didn't even know anymore.

"Lee."

"Never better," Lee replied flippantly, relieved to find himself saved from having to give a serious answer by the approach of the rest of the Williams party. He endured their embraces, wondering what Anna would do or say if she knew what had transpired between him and Kazuya. In spite of her father's presence, he doubted she would have been able to contain herself.

Meeting Kazuya's eyes across the room, Kazuya crossed the room and took his place at Lee's side. Seeing Aiden, Kazuya raised his eyebrows.

"What's he doing here?"

"The girls insisted. Apparently cancer renders one incapable of travelling on one's own," Richard Williams replied, and then asked, "Have you met Aiden, Kazuya?"

"Yes," Kazuya replied sullenly.

"Well, then you know he's an upstanding young man. Don't fuck with him," Richard stated.

Lee was relieved as Kazuya merely glowered back at him. Richard just smiled. He was unflappable.

"Well, boys. I can't believe anything could kill Heihachi Mishima, but here we are. I rather thought I'd be the one in the box sooner than later, but the doctors say that I'll liable to make of a full recovery," Richard declared.

"Of course you will, Daddy. You don't even seem that sick," Anna interjected.

"Well, whatever the case… your father was quite the man. I can honestly say I'll miss the bastard- may be rest in peace," Richard stated, subsequently crossing himself.

Lee nodded. Kazuya stood with his arms crossed.

"I think I'll go sit down now. My condolences," Richard stated, looking directly at Lee and patting his arm as he passed. Nina and Aiden followed him, but Anna lingered awkwardly.

"Kazuya… can I talk to you?" Anna asked.

She looked so sad and desperate that Lee actually felt pity towards her rather than jealousy.

"I hardly think that this is the appropriate place," Kazuya replied coldly.

"Please… I've been doing a lot of thinking and I need to tell you something," Anna said.

"Nothing you can say will change anything. It can't," Kazuya replied.

Anna looked from Kazuya to Lee and then back.

"I don't care what's happened to you. I want to be with you and I'm willing to stay."

Lee looked at Kazuya. For a second he thought Kazuya looked uncomfortable, but he instantaneously regained his mantle of cold indifference.

"Anna, it's over. You've made your choices…I've made mine. They've led us to this juncture where the only thing left to do is say goodbye. Nothing changes it. Not my inheritance or your boredom or jealousy. It's done."

"But I love you," Anna replied, tears streaming down her face.

"You'll get over it. Why don't you find some nice IRA thug like your sister and settle down?" Kazuya sneered.

"That's the last thing I want."

"Perhaps that's why you've always been loved second best." Kazuya remarked, that cold smile playing on his lips as he hurt her intentionally.

"Kazuya," Lee began.

"Don't you dare, you drunken little hypocrite. Don't," Kazuya stated firmly.

Lee just stared back. He was more than different. In that moment, he was downright unrecognizable. Malevolence and rage had altered his handsome features. His once good natured eyes now glowed with hatred. It was a terrifying thing to behold.

"Hey now," Nina chided in a firm whisper as she approached, looking directly at Kazuya as she placed her arm around Anna's shoulders. "Everyone can hear you. If good press and good appearances are your aim, I suggest you stop publicly bullying the people who love you most at your father's funeral. Anna, it is over. Accept it and move on. And you," Nina began, turning to Lee, "I hope you know what you're doing."

And with that she forced Anna away, trembling and crying, and deposited her into the chair next to her father. Richard placed his arm around his daughter and she cried on his shoulder.

"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut," Kazuya whispered in Lee's ear.

"Fuck you," Lee whispered back and quickly made his way out of the front door of the funeral home.

Once outside, Lee lit a cigarette and began to walk to the side of the building, fumbling for his flask inside of his black suit jacket. Leaning against the side of the brick building, he was startled when a man sitting on a bench turned around to look at him.

"You worried him with that," Akira Kyamata commented, nodding towards the flask.

Lee held the flask in his left hand, cigarette dangling from his lips. He debated whether or not to proceed with his drink now that he'd been caught.

"Go ahead, boy. What do you think I was out here doing?" Akira asked, holding up his own flask. "Come on. Sit down."

Lee merely stared at him, unaware of what to make of such an invitation.

"Please, Lee. I'd like to talk to you."

Lee continued to stare. Akira had never been so civil. Lee obeyed, sitting down and took a sip from his flask.

"Brandy?" Akira asked, as Lee put his flash away.

Lee nodded and smoked his cigarette. Akira looked as though he'd been crying.

"Mine is scotch. That used to be what he liked to drink back in the day. Maybe he just hadn't discovered the brandy yet… who knows?" Akira said, with a slight smile, taking a sip from his own flask.

Lee continued to just stare and smoke his cigarette. He couldn't make heads or tails of this.

"Mr. Kyamata, if this is about the other day, I don't hold a grudge. I understand that you're upset and Kazuya was disrespectful. I trust you to behave in accordance to professional standards," Lee stated, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"Thank you. I appreciate you trust. I spoke rashly from a place of grief rather than sense. Ironically, it was the kind of show of emotion that he would have loathed. You, on the other hand, were magnificent. Cold, logical, unyielding. All the things he was. And he loved you so. I was jealous," Akira admitted.

Lee raised his eyebrows at Akira. It wasn't really a big surprise. He had suspected as much. He just didn't expect for them to ever discuss it.

"He never told you?" Akira asked.

"No… I wondered, but I never asked and he never volunteered," Lee replied.

"I'm not surprised. He favored a great degree of compartmentalization in his life. The past was the past and he saw little use in talking about it."

Lee nodded in agreement. Heihachi had always been reticent about the past.

"I met Heihachi Mishima when he was eighteen and I was twenty. He was the most magnificent creature I'd ever seen. It was January. I was home on a college break. My younger brother threw a party. I thought I'd find some pretty young thing to entertain me for the night and there were so many pretty girls and some handsome boys, but when I saw him, I knew. I wanted him _so _badly. But my reputation preceded me. He knew to be wary of me. Very strait-laced," Akira recalled with a smile.

Lee listened. He couldn't help but be fascinated. It was yet another side of Heihachi that he hadn't known. He lit a fresh cigarette with his previous one and waited for Akira to continue.

"I arm wrestled with him just to touch his hand and look in his eyes. He knew. And when he found himself attracted to me, he couldn't accept it. He started drinking and trying to pick fights. His friends thought it was amusing, but I suggested someone ought to take him home. In turn, he insisted he was fine and challenged me to a motorcycle race. I should've ignored his insults and challenge, but I was young, stupid, and intoxicated, so we raced. He was winning until the accident. He broke his left arm and got a nasty concussion. He was lucky. When he came out of the coma a couple of days later, I apologized for incidents he mostly didn't remember taking place and I promised to leave him alone. I thought that would be the end of it, but as soon as he was out of the hospital, he began calling me up for rides. He claimed that since I was the reason his arm was broken it was the least I could do. I knew it was an excuse. He could've had one of his father's drivers take him around, but I was happy to do it. We became friends. That summer we became lovers. I had never waited so long for anyone, but it was well worth it."

Lee nodded. It was hard to imagine Heihachi ever being so young and impetuous.

"Then since he was going to start in the same business school that I was enrolled in, we decided that he ought to just move in with me. When his father confronted him about it and told him that he was effectively cut off if he chose to do this, he decided to do it anyway. He gave up business school, his inheritance, and everything to be with me. I was so afraid that he'd end up resenting me, so I begged my mother to request that my father hire him at the investment firm. I blackmailed them, promising discretion in return for a position for him. My father hired him on those grounds and started him at the bottom, but we were so young and absolutely mad about each other that it didn't matter. He was so brilliant and such a hard worker that my father couldn't help but recognize it and promote him accordingly.

"When it became apparent to Jinpachi Mishima that his son was going to rise to prominence in the business world with or without his assistance and largesse, he schemed to find a way to bring his son to his proper place at the Mishima Zaibatsu and back under his control. So he convinced him that his honor was at stake if he didn't go through with an antiquated arranged marriage with some milquetoast girl from a wealthy family. Her father was a powerful politician. I'm sure Jinpachi was delighted when Heihachi fell into line and did exactly as he was told."

"He told me that much," Lee said, but then added, "Well, not the part about her being a milquetoasteHe. He was kinder in his description. I think he loved her."

"Sure. He did," Akira agreed with a shrug.

"But not Kazuya."

"No. Once she was gone he didn't want to be reminded of her. He wanted to relegate her to the past, but Kazuya served as a constant reminder of her existence. Unfortunate that he couldn't find it within himself to treat the boy better. He could've guessed as the outcome. It was just so with him and his father," Akira stated blandly.

Lee could scarcely believe what he heard.

"You mean to tell me that Heihachi-"

"I don't know for certain. He would never tell me, but I do know that when Jinpachi Mishima disappeared, Heihachi didn't show the slightest bit of surprise or concern. When I asked him about it, he told me that some things are best kept to one's self. I knew not to ask again."

Lee nodded. It seemed Heihachi had kept plenty from him. Why would things have been any different with Akira?

"As I said, he loved you. He didn't stop loving you when you left even though I think he started hating you a bit, too."

Lee nodded again. It explained why Kazuya suffered his wrath and not him. It made him glad to think that Heihachi was gone and wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

"I've told you all this hoping you might in turn speak plainly with me about what happened," Akira told him.

Lee took a drag on his cigarette and looked into Akira's eyes. He didn't trust him, but then who did he really trust anymore? Just Nina. She was the only one. Lee sighed and ran his left hand through his silver hair.

"Why the closed casket? For a broken neck it seems… unnecessary."

"It took such a long time getting down from the mountain that-"

"You're a bad liar, boy," Akira interrupted. He stared at Lee and waited.

"If Kazuya finds out," Lee began, realizing for the first time just how much Kazuya frightened him.

"He won't. I have no interest in making things more difficult for you."

"The coffin is closed because it's empty. Kazuya threw him, still alive, from the cliff. He is presumed dead, but the body hasn't been recovered," Lee explained mechanically.

"And you… what do you think?" Akira asked.

"I'm not sure. I'm surprised recovery efforts have failed if they're in earnest," Lee replied.

Akira nodded.

"If Kazuya knew that I-"

"He won't. This conversation never happened. Now you should probably go back in there. Thank you, Lee."

Lee nodded, getting up from the bench and walking back towards the front of the building, finishing his cigarette and stepping on the butt before walking back inside. Reentering the viewing chamber, Lee saw that Kazuya continued to stand by the coffin. Many of the guests, including the Williams had already left. Lee returned to Kazuya's side without a word.

"I owe you an apology," Kazuya stated without any inflection.

"I accept," Lee replied quietly. What choice did he have?

"It's almost time for the cremation and entombment. I just can't wait for this to be over," Kazuya confessed in a whisper.

"Me, too, though I don't suspect for the same reasons."

"Perhaps not. Regardless, tomorrow will mark the beginning of a new era. I'm glad you've chosen to remain loyal to me. We'll accomplish much together," Kazuya declared.

Lee only nodded. He hoped that Kazuya intended to do as he claimed he would in the interview with Hideki, but somehow he doubted he would keep his word, though he didn't doubt that it was the beginning of a new era for the Zaibatsu as well as their personal lives. Everything had changed so much on that fateful day that Lee questioned to what degree any aspect of their lives would remain unchanged.

After the ashes from the empty coffin had been entombed in the Mishima family plot and the guests began to disperse, Nina approached Lee and embraced him.

"I think you should reconsider my invitation to return to Ireland with me. I love you and he'll only hurt you," Nina whispered.

"How can you say this to me with Aiden standing right behind you? I love you, too, but not how you want or deserve. I think Aiden does. And as far as Kazuya goes… he thinks he needs me. I don't understand, but that seems to be the case," Lee whispered back.

"What happens when he realizes he doesn't?"

"I don't know. I don't think it matters anymore," Lee replied gloomily.

"Of course it does. It's necessary to have a plan. If it gets to the point where he wants you out of the way, I want you to come to Ireland. I won't try to push you into anything. I just want you to be safe."

"Thank you. If it comes to that I'll think about it," Lee replied, letting go of Nina. Aiden had begun to appear slightly perturbed. In spite of this, Aiden embraced him and quietly reiterated his sympathy. Lee thanked him and told him to take care of Nina and he promised to do his best. As they began to walk back to the car, Richard hugged him.

"I'm putting my business card in your pocket. You know my business. Call me if you need me. If things get out of hand. I will rise from my deathbed to put him down. He has the look of a mad dog."

"Richard, I-"

"You don't have to say anything. Just remember. And I'm sorry Anna wasn't able to control herself today. I had the driver just bring her home before the cemetery. She's sometimes the very embodiment of her mother brought back to life. I don't know what to do with her, but then you've got your own cross to bear," Richard rasped, patting Lee's arm as he glanced at Kazuya by the monument.

Lee responded with a single nod, but then added, "I wouldn't be so hard on Anna. He broke her heart."

"Aye. Like you broke Nina's? And yet she manages to control herself. Eh… I always told her not to bother," Richard said, coughing a bit, and then adding, "No offense. You're a nice boy, but I knew."

Lee merely nodded. He wasn't sure what Richard knew exactly, but he was sure it pertained to his sexuality.

"But again, keep my offer in mind. Heihachi sure fucked it up this time," Richard declared, shaking his head and then coughing violently. "Wonder how he plans to get out of this one."

Lee's eyes widened and Richard smiled.

"I'll believe it when I see it, son. Today was smoke and mirrors and an empty box."

Lee shrugged. He wanted to go and hide before he revealed the secret to anybody else.

"I know you can't tell me. Come to Ireland if you get into trouble. Call me if you get into more trouble than you can handle, alright?" Richard asked, gripping Lee's shoulder.

"Yes, Sir," Lee replied.

With that Richard said a perfunctory goodbye to Kazuya before head back to his black limousine.

Lee walked over to Kazuya. They were the only ones left.

"It'll be better. You'll see," Kazuya stated, smiling slightly.

Lee took the flask from his jacket and slugged down the last of the brandy.

"You're not angry with me, are you?"

"No, Kazuya. Not angry. Disappointed, but not angry. Anna didn't deserve the way you treated her."

"Oh, bother Anna. If she knew that you and I were together now for real, she'd tear you from limb to limb, I think she's already got it in her head to hate you from when I lied to her about it. I wouldn't waste my time sticking up for her if I were you. You're too good," Kazuya told him, taking his arm to steady him as they walked back to the car. "Nina told me I had better be good to you or else. I plan to be. I really do. I'm grateful for your loyalty and you will continue to be rewarded."

Lee responded with a single nod, allowing Kazuya to help him into the limousine.

One year later were things better as Kazuya promised? No. Were they as bad as they could be? He supposed not, but he recognized that things were continuing to get steadily worse. Kazuya seemed to utterly lack a conscience and he grew more cold and maniacal all the time. Lee questioned the degree to which the Devil Gene Division did anything. Perhaps most telling, Kazuya had infinite patience with their endless setbacks and snail's pace. Lee began to give up hope that Kazuya wanted to reverse his condition. However, Lee did not believe for a moment that Kazuya would admit to such a charge. For some reason he wanted Lee to believe he was still attempting to return to his old self. Perhaps he underestimated the strength of the guilt that compelled Lee to aid him in whatever way he desired. And there was the love. And the lust.

Kazuya knew how to spin every situation. When they arrived at the Zaibatsu one morning about a month after the funeral to the Koi Pond being dismantled, Kazuya had just shrugged and given him that sly smile.

"The smell was driving me crazy… just for you, though, I ascertained that the fish would be unharmed. Apparently you're right… they're expensive and they'd prefer to resell them if possible," Kazuya told Lee, pushing the button for the elevator.

"Still… I wish you'd told me that's what you decided," Lee replied glumly.

"Sorry. I've been busy. Thinking about the Jacks at the Tournament. What do you think? I mean, you fought one."

"It was slow and clumsy. It could be greatly improved, but against a large number of opponents getting in each other's way and minimizing the ability to dodge attacks, it would probably perform decently as is. It's just a question of what it's for."

"Well, I want it to perform decently for both purposes."

"Then it'll need a lot of work."

"And a new project leader," Kazuya stated.

"You know, I know this guy who would love an opportunity like this one," Lee posited with a smile. The elevator dinged to signify their arrival on the forty-ninth floor.

"I know him, too, only he just got promoted. Good money, nice office, handsome boss," Kazuya teased, elbowing him in the ribs gently.

"All that may be true, but he'd just assume do his old job," Lee said, stepping out of the elevator.

"Well… it's not an option. He's doing a great job as Vice President. Anyway, I just thought of something," Kazuya stated.

"Do you want me to come up so we can talk about it?"

"No… no, keep your schedule. I'll see you at lunch. I know how you tweak when you don't keep your schedule," Kazuya said with a smile.

Lee had just smiled. It was true.

By the time lunch rolled around that day, he had forgotten to ask about Kazuya's idea. He was too busy explaining why Kazuya shouldn't fire an entire project team because their first trial of the light weight body armor hadn't gone well.

"Kazuya, trials frequently do not go well. For the first trial I ran of VEST in front of the board, my computer crashed. Your father didn't even get angry. He understood these things happened. He just joked around with the board members until I could get the system rebooted."

"Well, I'm not my father and we're not talking about ornamental frivolities. We're talking about equipment that I plan to issue to the Tekken Force and possibly sell on an open market- equipment that _should_ stand up to pretty substantial damage that I watched being blown to bits an hour ago!"

"I understand your frustration, but this project is in its earliest phases. They rushed to even put together a trial of some sort to show you. They thought they'd have six months. Not one," Lee explained, deciding to let Kazuya's insulting comment about VEST go as he put down his chopsticks at the side of his plate. e He no longer had any appetite.

"It entertains me how they cry to you. How come those people don't make their arguments to me?" Kazuya asked, in between bites of tempura shrimp and vegetables.

"It wouldn't be proper," Lee replied. That and they were afraid.

Kazuya shrugged.

"Anyway, it's a top priority project and I expected something better than what I saw."

"And the Devil Gene project… is that a top priority project?" Lee asked.

"Absolutely," Kazuya replied unflinchingly.

"They haven't made any progress that I'm aware of. Why don't you go raise Hell for them?" Lee asked.

"I have and I will continue to do so until they make some progress. That being said, it seems awfully redundant given that I've heard that you go down there every day and tell them what they're doing wrong and what they should be doing instead. It's you they fear, not me."

Lee sighed and ran his left hand through his hair.

"A comment- not a criticism. You ought to torment people more often. It sounds like you're good at it."

"My concern for you makes me harsh with them because I don't think they're working as hard as they can."

"You mean as hard as you would. If I let you, I know that you'd practically live at the Zaibatsu. You'd do your job during the day and then go and work on the Devil Gene thing until you passed out, then shower in the executive washroom and do it all over again the next day. I won't let you do that. You deserve a life."

"I don't care about that. I care about you."

"And that's where my concerns lie. There may be a chance that there's nothing to be done. I don't want you to be too disappointed if that turns out to be the case."

"I'm not willing to entertain that possibility yet," Lee replied.

"Well, prepare yourself in case that is the outcome.

Lee pouted.

"I know. You don't want it to be, but handle this with the professionalism and sense that you handle everything else. Pretend it's not about me. Pretend it's just another project," Kazuya suggested, taking a wonton from Lee's plate.

Lee sighed and pushed his plate towards Kazuya.

"It's impossible to be objective in this case and even if it wasn't, that particular team would still receive my censure," Lee stated firmly.

"Alright. I will speak to them about their progress. Anyway, you better get going… didn't you say you had a thing at 12:45? It's 12:40 now. When do you think you'll be done tonight?" Kazuya asked.

"5:30."

"An early night. Good. I want to go to that place with the crab legs."

Lee nodded and left Kazuya's office, forgetting to ask what Kazuya had thought of in the elevator that morning.

A little over a month later, on one of the first days after Lee had begun wearing his trademark white suits again, Kazuya called him from the secret lab.

"Hey… good you're in your office. Can you come down to the lab on the twentieth floor… you know, the secret lab. Your key card'll work now. Do you know Russian?"

"A little… why? What?" Lee asked.

"We have a guest… I need an interpreter."

"We have interpreters."

"I know. I'd rather you come down alone for now, alright?" Kazuya asked, although Lee could tell that it was no longer up for debate.

"On my way," Lee replied, hanging up the phone and rushing to the lab in question. When he arrived he walked past a dozen Tekken Force soldiers standing by the lab benches. Lee walked to where Kazuya was standing in front of an elderly man tied to a chair.

"Kazuya-"

"Not now."

"Kazuya, you-"

"Lee. This is Dr. Bosconovitch. He worked on the original team that created the Jack Robots. I thought that perhaps he'd be the perfect project leader for the improvement of the Jack Robots."

"So you kidnapped him?" Lee asked, looking at the elderly man tied to the chair, gagged with a white handkerchief. He had a strangely calm, resigned look in his eyes.

"Well, given my father's track record with the Russians it seemed unlikely he would come over voluntarily," Kazuya replied.

"So you kidnapped him?" Lee repeated.

"Yeah. Are you ready to talk to him?"

"I'll do my best," Lee replied. He could hardly believe this. He wondered if he was dreaming. "Have him ungagged and at least untie his hands."

Kazuya rolled his eyes and ordered one of his men to do as Lee said.

"Dr. Bosconovitch," Lee began, watching the old man wring his hands to restore the blood flow. When Lee hesitated, all eyes including those of the Doctor rested on him. "My brother has brought you here-"

"About the Jacks, right? I thought I heard Jacks? Is your English better than your Russian?" Dr. Bosconovitch interrupted.

"Yes," Lee replied, in English, relieved. This was bad enough without having to attempt to speak Russian.

"Yes to which?" Dr. Bosconovitch asked.

"Both. You see, the Mishima Zaibatsu has produced and exhibited Jack Robots built to function for hand to hand combat."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Lee asked.

"That's not what they're designed for. They were designed to work in large numbers- not as single units."

"But to improve the mechanics-"

"Would take a lot of work. New units would need to be built out of new materials. Something more light weight."

Lee's brows furrowed. It was something to think about.

"Dr. Bosconovitch," Kazuya began, "You have been brought here to delve into that specific problem. If you cooperate, you'll be handsomely rewarded. If you choose not to cooperate, you will be executed. So… Dr. B, do you plan to cooperate?"

With wide eyes, Lee looked from Kazuya to the old, grandfatherly Russian scientist. It all felt so surreal.

"I will… under one condition."

Kazuya simply responded with a cold, murderous glare. It clearly wasn't the right thing to say.

"Kazuya," Lee appealed without saying anything more.

Kazuya sighed and looked from Lee to Dr. Bosconovitch.

"And the condition is?"

"I would require a facility in which to continue my research in the field of cryogenics. And I would need to bring my girl, my Alisa, from Moscow, as well."

"Your girl?" Kazuya asked.

"My daughter."

"Those sound like two conditions," Kazuya replied.

"No. Not really. You see, my girl, my beautiful Alisa, is one of my subjects. She's in cryosleep."

"I see. And why should I bargain with you?" Kazuya asked.

The Russian smiled.

"If you do as I ask, I will work for you- help fix the bugs with the Jacks. Modify the design. If not, well, it's likely you'll simply kill me. And who's to benefit from that?" Dr. Bosconovitch asked.

"If I meet your conditions and you fail to deliver the results that I desire, it will not bode well for you of your beloved frozen daughter," Kazuya threatened.

"I can easily deliver the results you desire, but not if you threaten my Alisa," Dr. Bosconovitch replied, looking angry for the first time since the conversation began.

"The way I see it, your Alisa is already in danger. We could flip a few switches and have your comrade scientists come in one day and to find her thawing. Again… it's up to you."

Dr. Bosconovitch sighed, looking from Kazuya to Lee. Lee guiltily shifted his eyes towards his feet.

"You'll have your results. Bring me my daughter unharmed. And my files, if you please," Dr. Bosconovitch said.

"It will be done," Kazuya replied, smiling and lunging forward. Lee wasn't sure what to expect, but Kazuya offered the elderly man his hand.

"Kazuya Mishima, CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

"Indeed. I heard of your father's passing."

Kazuya nodded and signaled to Lee.

"This is my adopted brother, Lee Chaolan, Vice President of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Lee moved forward and mechanically shook hands with the scientist.

"Kazuya, have him untied," Kazuya whispered in Japanese.

Kazuya issued the command to one of his men. The same one who came forward to untie his hands and ungag him followed the order.

"Lee. Take Dr. B. on a tour. Get him some food. Four of my men will accompany you," Kazuya stated.

"I have-"

Kazuya shook his head.

"If I tell you to do something, it absolutely takes precedence. Every time," Kazuya told him.

Lee only nodded.

"Dr. Bosconovitch, lovely meeting you. We'll talk again tomorrow. In the meantime, my brother will take you on a tour of the facilities," Kazuya stated genially.

"Thank you, Mr. Mishima. Remember our agreement," Dr. Bosconovitch replied, keeping to the same genial tone.

"I shall," Kazuya replied and then indicated which four of his men he wanted to accompany Lee and Dr. Bosconovitch before making his exit. More than a dozen other Tekken Force soldiers followed him.

"Well… shall we take this tour?" Dr. Bosconovitch asked, smiling at Lee.

"Yes," Lee replied.

"Listen. I'll tell you something, Lee- I may call you 'Lee'?"

Lee nodded.

"I'm from Soviet Union. This is the fourth time I've been kidnapped. It went pretty well. No beatings, no starvation, access to a bathroom. Definitely second best kidnapping."

Lee looked at him incredulously.

"I'm not kidding. Now don't be so nervous. Are you wunderkind creator of VEST by any chance?"

"Yes… you know about VEST?"

"Oh, yes. We've been attempting to replicate it for several years now- since the government first got the reports. Some of the men your father killed were actual spies. I would absolutely love to see VEST."

Lee nodded, but wondered if it was such a good idea given the information that Dr. Bosconovitch had just shared with him.

"Do not worry so much! I'm no spy- I will make no reports. Beyond ensuring my daughter's safety and working to restore her health, there is nothing for me. I will do what I have been fetched to do in the hopes that perhaps there is more that I can do for Alisa here."

Lee sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked at the old scientist with his rumpled tan pants and yellow shirt, his shock of white hair, large glasses, reassuring eyes, and his smiling grandfatherly demeanor. Was he to be trusted?

"Well, perhaps if not today-"

"No… no. I'd be happy to give you a demonstration," Lee stated firmly, coming to his decision.

"Well, wonderful. I'm so excited to see the world famous Mishima Zaibatsu. I feel like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory," Dr. Bosconovitch declared with an excited smile.

Lee returned the smile, hoping that he was making the right choice in trusting him. He also hoped that Kazuya planned to honor their agreement. Lee was relieved the following week when Kazuya received a phone call at 1AM informing him that the cargo had arrived safely and would be awaiting her father in the lab on the twentieth floor.

"I hope he's worth all this trouble. I have my concerns about pet projects dominating peoples' time," Kazuya commented.

Lee sighed, understanding that Kazuya was unhappy with the increasing amount of time he was spending with the team tasked with reversing the Devil Gene.

"Go back to sleep," Kazuya told him gruffly.

"You know it's because I love you."

"Yeah, I know," Kazuya replied in a softer voice. He leaned over and kissed Lee's forehead.

"I'm not going to give up on you."

"I know that, too," Kazuya replied, surprising Lee by pulling him close and hugging him hard like he used to back before the Devil Gene.

Overall, Lee supposed that Kazuya had been relatively kind to him considering the circumstances. He had been appreciative of his efforts in re-staffing the compound and his redecoration of the suite in the East Wing. They didn't go out dancing or to karaoke anymore, but they ate dinner together every night. They watched movies, played air hockey, trained, and had prodigious amounts of sex.

On the weekend following Lee's birthday, they went sailing and Kazuya gave him a Rolex for a birthday present.

"I want to thank you again for your loyalty. I know this has been a difficult year for you and there have probably been a lot of times that you wished you hadn't come back or that you wanted to leave, but you've stood by me. I greatly appreciate it. We've accomplished so much in such a short time. Can you imagine what we might accomplish in a year… or five?" Kazuya asked, smiling at the thought of his prosperous empire continuing to grow.

Lee smiled in response and sipped his wine. He relished times like this when Kazuya seemed almost content. He willingly drowned his unceasing concerns about the Tekken Force, the as-yet un-dismantled nuclear program, the lack of progress of the team assigned to reversing the effects of the Devil Gene, Heihachi's still missing corpse, and Kazuya's new fascination with the possibility of cloning. To just be with Kazuya and be happy had been all he had ever wanted. Sometimes he liked to pretend that they were in love and happy. It was easier to pretend after he had a few drinks.

"I want you to know that in spite of everything, I still love you. I don't say it often, but you deserve to know that I still do," Kazuya told him solemnly as if he was delivering bad news.

"I know, Kazuya," Lee replied, reaching across the table and taking Kazuya's hand. e He He

He looked into those cold eyes and took another sip of his wine. He wondered if this creature was really still capable of love.

Whatever the reality of Kazuya's feelings, they were a formidable pair. A year after Heihachi's death and the Zaibatsu was doing exceptionally well. Profits were up. The press was still convinced that Kazuya meant to do good. Lee sighed as he refilled his brandy glass. He wondered if Akira Kyamata and Richard Williams still believed that Heihachi was alive. He personally still didn't know what to believe. The Japanese government had long since concluded their investigation and their fruitless search. And yet, he still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he contemplated the possibility. If Heihachi was alive, they were in deep trouble. The man who knew and saw everything would figure out exactly how to reclaim what was rightfully his and how to best make the usurpers suffer.

Lee crossed his legs and nervously bounced his left foot as he scanned the rooftops for a sniper he knew he wouldn't see. He sighed and returned to his calendar. He contemplated calling Nina, but he knew it would be of little use. She was always on missions and all but unreachable. They had only talked twice since Heihachi's funeral. The first time had been right after Christmas and the second time had been on his birthday. The first time she had called had been right after she had finally had sex with Aiden.

"It was weird, you know? It wasn't like when we had sex," Nina told him.

"I'm sure it wasn't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nina asked, clearly amused by Lee's response.

"Well, for one thing, Aiden is probably straight. So, he's probably really into it. And he's probably had sex with women before you, so he probably knew what he was doing. I apologize for what is hopefully the worst sex either of us will ever have. You deserve a lot better. Hopefully Aiden will deliver."

Nina giggled.

"It was good, but I'm glad that you were my first. I loved you… I still do. Not like I did at the time… something I thought you'd be happy to hear."

"I am. Again, you deserve better. I love you, too, but women… are too moist," Lee opined.

"Moist? That's your complaint?"

"Well, I have many, but I digress," Lee replied.

Nina giggled again.

"How is it with Kazuya?"

"Things are alright? Relationships with people who have been attacked and injected with aggressive and personality altering viruses are difficult."

"I meant in bed, but I can imagine."

"In bed things are… intense," Lee replied after giving it a few seconds of thought.

"Is that good?"

"Yes… but well, it's hard to explain."

"Yes, but what? What's the complaint?" Nina asked.

"It's not a complaint. It's just kind of fast… incredibly hot, but fast," Lee explained.

"How's that hard to explain?" Nina asked.

"I guess it's not," Lee replied, and then decided to change the subject, "How's your father?"

"Cancer free. He's still weak and tired, though, but he doesn't want to rest. He's got his reservations about Anna going the family business… she's not exactly a natural," Nina explained.

"I empathize. I guess I never knew how much Heihachi kept from me and Kazuya exposes me to a lot more, but I suspect he has his secrets, as well," Lee said.

"Well, she needs to be more careful. If she fucks up, I'm not going to be the one bailing her ass out," Nina stated.

Lee sighed. She would if her father asked her to and that was the bottom line.

"How is Anna?"

"Lame."

"In addition to that?"

"I don't know… sad? She isn't over Kazuya. She's really peeved at you even though I didn't tell her that you two are really together now- I think she may've sensed it at the funeral. Anyway, like I said, Dad isn't terribly happy with her attitude or her job performance. She just needs to suck it up and carry on. Really," Nina declared.

"And how helpful have you been to that end? You are sisters, you know," Lee reminded her.

"For fucksake… you sound like Aiden. He gets on really well with his brother so he's always on me about Anna."

"Well, good. He's right. How is Aiden anyways… out of bed," Lee clarified.

Nina giggled yet again.

"Good. You know, he's been my driver on a bunch of missions, but his driving is tame next to yours. If you ever find yourself in need of employ, come over her and drive my getaway car."

"Do you know what I make now? You couldn't afford me," Lee teased.

"Aye, I suppose not. Plus, the IRA typically appreciates it when their operatives come back alive."

"Well, I haven't killed anyone yet."

"But not for a lack of trying," Nina teased.

"Ah, fuck you."

"Come and get it."

"You wish."

"Put on those leather pants from the Tournament and it's a date," Nina flirted.

"I think there are two people who would have a problem with that."

"Aiden and Kazuya?"

"No. Aiden and me. I doubt Kazuya would give it much thought."

"You never know… anyway, any news on the body?" Nina asked.

"No… none."

"So, they haven't found it?"

"No."

"Well, my Dad hasn't heard anything that leads him to believe that Heihachi's still around, but he isn't sure yet… he thinks it's pretty strange that nothing ever turned up."

"Tell me about it. I have nightmares about him crawling back up the cliff side and coming after me," Lee confessed.

"And Kazuya? He's satisfied that Heihachi is really dead?"

"Yes… and if he's not, he'll kill him. That's his answer to that," Lee replied.

"This must be hard for you."

"Exceedingly. I wish we had never run away together. It hardly seems worth it now," Lee stated.

"Well, what's done is done and you're strong. You'll get through this," Nina told him reassuringly.

"I know, I guess. It's not me I'm worried about, really."

"You'll figure out what needs to be done about Kazuya. There's not a doubt in my mind."

Lee thought of Richard's offer at the funeral and cringed. He wondered if that's what Nina had in mind.

When they spoke in May, it had mostly been more of the same. Anna was still incompetent and Richard wasn't one-hundred percent but had no intention of taking it easy. The biggest difference from the previous conversation had been her answer to 'How's Aiden?'

"Good… I think I might be in love with him," Nina replied, sounding unhappy and confused.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"Lee asked.

"I guess. Except that I worry about him all the time. Not cause he's a moron or anything, but just because I don't want anything to happen to him," Nina explained.

"It comes with the territory," Lee replied, recalling how Heihachi had always worried about his smoking.

"Well, I don't like it. It's more difficult to concentrate when I'm worried that he's off getting blown up or shot at."

"I'm sure, but I can't imagine you with someone normal… like an accountant or a mechanic."

"Or a scientist."

"At least not a gay one," Lee returned.

"Aye… how's Kazuya?"

"I don't know… worse? He's taking me sailing this weekend," Lee replied.

"How are your efforts going… you know, to change him back?" Nina asked.

Lee laughed.

"Really bad, but you make it sound like the Frog Prince or something. I really don't know what he pays those people in that lab for. Why doesn't he fire them?"

"Maybe they're doing just what he wants them to do," Nina theorized.

"Nothing?"

"Precisely."

"Maybe… it's hard to know. Part of me questions to what degree he'd pay people to do nothing."

"Maybe not nothing- just not that. And even if it _is _nothing, he's paying them to keep you off his back."

"Maybe… I don't know. To what end?" Lee asked.

"You're smart… he trusts you- loves you in his own way. He's willing to humor you and sexually satisfy you to keep you around," Nina replied.

"Maybe… you know, I just feel confused so much of the time. Like I'm bad at my job and it's not important… and all Kazuya and I do is fight and I find…" Lee trailed off.

"What?" Nina asked sympathetically.

"I don't know. That I miss how things were."

"You miss Heihachi."

"Yeah… I guess. And if he's dead, it's my fault and if he's alive, he going to get his revenge. I just feel like I've fucked up so badly," Lee explained.

"You haven't. You didn't cause Heihachi and Kazuya's hatred of one another. This would have happened if Heihachi had never taken you off the streets of it you had never turned his head. Really, it's good you're there. Maybe you're keeping Kazuya somewhat in check. Did you think of that?"

"No."

"Well, it's a distinct possibility. He obviously values you or else he would've tossed you aside like he did Anna."

"Maybe. I don't understand how his mind works anymore."

"Aye. He used to be loyal like a dog, but the man I encountered at the Tournament wasn't the one I knew."

"No. He was gone by the time I had returned to Japan," Lee replied.

"I'm sorry that you're not happy."

"I'm alright," Lee lied. "I'm happy for you. Aiden is a good guy. Very serious, but decent."

"Thank you. I love you."

"Love you, too. Be safe."

"I will. You, too."

"Always."

"The IRA could always use a driver like you," Nina told him.

"I'll keep that in mind," Lee replied.

He hadn't talked to her since May. Her employment offer made him want to laugh. Her father's offer on the other hand… he felt guilty every time he thought of the business card he had hidden in a leather bound volume of _Ulysses _by James Joyce in the library at the Compound, but he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. He couldn't help but wonder if there was a time when he would need it.

Lee sighed and took another sip of his drink. It had been one hell of a year.

Drinking again, Kazuya though as he opened the door to Lee's office with only the slightest of knocks.

"Hi," Lee said, looking up his calendar. He looked tired.

"Hey… it's after six. You done for the day?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah. Just looking at next week."

"And having a drink. You know, that's supposed to be for entertaining clients," Kazuya pointed out.

"I'll replace it. You can take it out of my pay," Lee responded dryly.

"Smart ass."

Lee shrugged.

"Anything big next week?" Kazuya asked.

"Well, it'll have been a year since-"

"I know. That's nothing," Kazuya stated firmly. He honestly didn't know what Lee expected. The old man was dead.

"Nothing major- meetings with project leaders. Demonstration of the Jack Robots," Lee replied, in the petulant, whiny voice he always used after he had been scolded.

"That's pretty major. I wonder how much sooner his could've happen if he weren't fiddling with a frozen girl," Kazuya responded. Now he waited for the defense. It always came.

"Well, he's been doing a lot of important work on cryogenics, which is medical science which is the direction you publicly said you wanted the Zaibatsu to go in."

"I know what I said," Kazuya replied. He wondered what made Lee even hope that he meant it. He should've known that it wasn't true by now.

"Besides, Bosconovitch has given priority to the Jack Robots. I've seen to it," Lee stated, closing his calendar, getting up and going to the coat rack.

"Well, I would hope so. I wouldn't want to have to thaw out his little girl to teach him a lesson," Kazuya sneered.

"Kazuya," Lee scolded, putting on his coat.

Kazuya merely smiled.

"Kazuya, Dr. Bosconovitch is doing good work for you."

"That remains to be seen," Kazuya replied.

"Kazuya," Lee repeated.

"Lee," Kazuya replied with a smile.

"You can't accomplish anything by going about things like the Yakuza."

"Can't I? You don't seem able to accept this, but my father did. Do you think all the Russians he killed were spies? Do you think he only killed Russians? Do you think he only sent Dick Williams out to kill the bad guys? Do you think he was fair to you? No, he was _kind _to you. He doted on you. Do you think everyone had bottomless funding and no deadlines? Do you think he would bail out anyone who had issues during a product demonstration to the board? No. I've seen him fire people on the spot for less. And you know what? At the time, I thought 'what a dick,' but now, I think I understand," Kazuya said.

"What's exactly?" Lee asked, pouting and crossing his arms.

"Why he did things the way he did them… you've said it yourself. He wasn't wrong about everything," Kazuya stated.

"Yes, but he was wrong about some things… a lot of things," Lee said.

Kazuya sighed. He did this all the time. It was exhausting. Sometimes he wondered if he could manage without Lee. It would be much more peaceful that way, but then there was nobody else he could trust. No one else who would work so hard. No on so intelligent and loyal. Lee loved him and that made it possible to control him, but did not preclude him from being a whiny, self righteous pain in the ass.

"What?" Lee demanded, arms still crossed and pouting.

"What what?" Kazuya responded.

"You sighed."

"Yeah… you're cute, you know?" Kazuya flirted, smoothly moving to the desk, reaching under the center drawer and switching off the surveillance. He subsequently embraced Lee from behind and kissed his neck.

"I've heard that before," Lee replied, placing his smaller, white hands over Kazuya's.

"Now listen," Kazuya declared, biting Lee's left earlobe softly.

"Mmm?"

"Let's go to dinner at the place with the good barbeque. Then we'll go back to the Compound… I'll make some mojitos and we'll relax," Kazuya kissed his neck again. "How does that sound?"

"Amazing," Lee replied, leaning his head to the right. Kazuya continued to kiss his neck.

"If you think that sounds amazing wait till you hear what else I have in store for you," Kazuya whispered in his ear.

"I can't wait," Lee replied.

Kazuya kissed him again on the neck before letting him go.

"I'm absolutely starving," Kazuya declared, amused by Lee's sudden docility.

"As usual," Lee replied following Kazuya out of the office and into the elevator.

"Got to keep my strength up… I have this insatiable boyfriend," Kazuya teased.

Lee smiled. Kazuya smiled back. It was that easy… like shooting fish in a barrel. He could talk, fuck, or fight his way out of anything. No, his father hadn't been wrong about everything. Possessing raw, unbridled power was the best feeling in the world. There was nothing more important that insuring that the power stayed in his hands. Any threat to this power needed to be disposed of regardless of who or what it was. People and things were expendable- power was what really mattered.

As he held the door for Lee, he couldn't keep that cold, evil smile from spreading across his face. He had finally become the son his father had always wanted and all it had cost him was his soul.


	15. June 1988

June 1988

Richards Williams chewed a hangnail as he drove his Mercedes Benz to the appointed place. He looked over at Aiden O'Meara in the passenger seat. His prospective son-in-law looked a bit nervous, but perhaps that was good. Perhaps that meant that he understood the true purpose of this mission. Maybe it would keep his wits sharp and he'd survive, but then Aiden wasn't the target. If he had been, he wouldn't have brought him along. There was no way he would do that to Nina. His beloved girl. If it had been her, he wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. But when he received the call about Anna, recognizing it for the trap it truly was, Richard Williams began to weigh his options, God forgive him. He couldn't help it. Anna simply reminded him too much of Callista and Callista had been the most treacherous succubus who ever drew breath. It was true that Nina had her mother's looks, but he had always admired Callista's beauty. It was her personality that he couldn't stand. She had been selfish, flighty, lazy, and ill tempered. She had been an unfaithful wife and a neglectful mother. He should've listened to his mother and never married an English girl, but she was late and he had loved her.

Richard had met Callista at a tournament in London in October 1963. Richard had been there on a freelance assignment. It seemed that one of the participants in the tournament had wracked up insurmountable gambling debts and one of his creditors had finally decided to cut their losses. It was to be a straightforward hit from the rafters until he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen looking up at him. Transfixed for a moment by her beauty, Richard gaped stupidly as she tapped a large man with a ridiculous structure of black hair on the shoulder. By the time the man turned around to observe what she was attempting to point out, Richard had regained his composure and hid in the shadows. From there he could see the man shrug before saying something to her. She yelled something and then hit him in response. The man, who the announcer identified as Heihachi Mishima, only laughed before climbing into the ring. He heard a wolf whistle from the crowd. He turned in time to see _her_ do it a second time and he smiled. He could never figure out how to do that and he had always wanted to learn.

After the bell rang to start the fight, she turned around again to look for him, but he remained hidden. He watched the man with the ridiculous hair prevail easily over the target in the first round. When it was apparent that she was engrossed in the fight, Richard picked up his rifle again. The bell rang to signify the beginning of the second round. Richard squinted and frowned as he looked through his scope. Getting a clear shot would be difficult. If there wasn't a good opportunity he supposed that he would have to make another one. He continued to watch without much hope, but suddenly, Heihachi Mishima kicked the target hard in the chest and he went flying into the ropes on the opposite side of the ring. In a split second, Richard took his aim and pulled the trigger. He watched with satisfaction as the target fell forward and blood quickly began pooling around his head as it gushed from the wound in the center of his forehead. He saw _her _look up again in his direction, but she didn't see him. Now Heihachi Mishima was also looking in his direction with a scowl on his face. He sighed and then turned around and began to carefully navigate his preplanned route across the arena's lighting structures until he reached a deserted metal ladder. Richard slid down quickly and ducked out of the nearby emergency exit.

It had gone perfectly. Textbook, Richard thought, lighting a cigarette as he walked quickly back to his black sedan. Except the girl. She shouldn't have seen him and he wished he had never seen her. Broodingly, Richard turned the key and started the car. It was time to head to the airport and get the fuck out of there. That would have been the wise thing to do, but the coldblooded assassin was also a hopeless romantic. What if the beautiful woman had been his soul mate? What if the hand of destiny had compelled her to turn around and look up at that moment? After all, it had been strange, Richard irrationally reasoned as he cut off a car in the left lane and made an abrupt U-turn at a break in the median.

Richard smoked calmly as he headed back towards the scene of the crime. He wondered what her name might be and what he might say to her. It hadn't crossed his mind for a moment that she might be afraid of him or call the police- she just didn't seem the sort and that should have been the first sign that she may not have been such a good idea. Finally as he drove past the stadium, now crawling with police, it occurred to him that he had no idea where _she _might go. He didn't know where she was staying. Slowing down his car and pretending to gawk interestedly at the commotion going on at the arena, an irritated police officer waved him on. Richard waved back and mouthed the word 'sorry' as he drove past the arena. Driving further down the street, Richard noticed one of the fighters, a tall Russian by the name of Vladimir Something-ov in a fur coat walking into the pub with a blonde on one arm and a redhead on the other. With a shrug, Richard parallel parked the car with ease in the first spot he came across and walked back toward the bar with that the Russian had entered. Taking a quick look around, he saw a couple more of the competitors; they were easy to spot with their outlandish outfits, bizarre hairstyles, and perfect physiques. However, he didn't see _her _and quickly exited the pub.

Working his way back towards the arena pub by pub, Richard had no luck finding the girl. Finally at the Silver Lion, across the street from the arena, Richard ordered a glass of Jameson Irish Whiskey in his best British accent and sat down at the crowded bar to drink it. He checked his watch. Almost two hours had gone by since he began his search. Chewing on a hangnail absentmindedly, he wondered for the first time if he might not succeed in finding her. Somehow the thought hadn't crossed his mind prior to that moment. He lit a cigarette with a match from the book of matches on the counter and took a long drag before taking another sip of whiskey.

"Well, fuck me! That nearly took the entire bloody night!"

Richard turned around. It was _her_, but she was still with Heihachi Mishima. From the looks of it, she was wearing his tiger-striped jacket around her slender frame.

"Buy me a drink," she demanded of Mishima, hitting his enormous bicep before threading her arm through his as they approached the bar.

Without responding to her, Mishima ordered a gin and tonic and a scotch on the rocks.

Richard frowned. Perhaps she and Mishima were an item.

"Corner booth!" she suddenly yelled, freeing herself and barreling towards a booth that was opening in the far corner of the pub, nearly knocking over the two couples that had been waiting patiently by the bar for a booth to open up.

"Excuse me, but we were waiting," one of the women pointed out.

"Should've been faster then," she replied, with a wicked smile.

"I have a mind to talk to the manager," the woman's date declared resolutely after she had nudged him in the ribs.

"Go ahead," Heihachi Mishima declared, setting the drinks down on the table, sitting down across from her. Heihachi Mishima took a sip of his scotch, folded his hands together, and looked up at the man expectantly.

"Let's just go somewhere else," the other man in the group finally declared.

"Good call. Here- a round on me for your trouble and a second one on behalf of my impetuous companion," Heihachi stated, handing the second man a few bills.

"Thank you, Sir."

Heihachi nodded at the man and party of four left the pub without another word.

"That's wasn't very nice," Heihachi stated.

She shrugged and took a sip of her drink.

"I'm not a very nice girl."

"If the shoe fits," Heihachi agreed, returning the shrug.

She just laughed and took another sip of her drink. It was then that she noticed him. Her eyes widened and she leaned over and whispered something to Heihachi. Heihachi turned around and examined him before getting up and walking over to him.

"Perhaps you'd like to join us for a drink? My friend thinks she recognizes you from somewhere," Mishima suggested genially as he locked eyes intently with Richard. Even if he had wanted to turn down the invitation, Richard knew that it would no longer have been possible.

"Aye, I'd enjoy that," Richard replied, speaking with his true Irish accent, putting out his cigarette, grabbing his whiskey, and following Heihachi to the booth. Heihachi indicated for him to sit down on the side he had been sitting on and he sat down next to him, blocking him in.

"Heihachi Mishima," Heihachi stated, offering his hand to Richard.

"Richard Williams," Richard replied, shaking Heihachi's hand.

Heihachi turned and faced the girl.

"And this is Callista Fox."

"A pleasure," Richard replied, extending his hand to Callista.

"Indeed," Callista declared, shaking hands with Richard amiably. She had the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

"Mr. Williams," Heihachi began as if certain that he had been given fake name, "My friend told the police nothing. I advised her as such. She will not make trouble for you. If you choose to make trouble for her, I will make trouble for you. Is that understood?" Heihachi asked.

"Perfectly… I have no intention of making trouble for her. I just wanted to meet her. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Richard replied, his heart beating fast. Making such a declaration took much more gumption from him than shooting someone in the head.

"Aw! Thank you!" Callista gushed.

Heihachi looked at her and shook his head.

"What?" Callista demanded.

"Nothing… absolutely nothing," Heihachi replied.

Richard thought Heihachi was still skeptical of his motives, but it was impossible to know.

"Well, if it's nothing then go get another round… and some chips," Callista ordered.

"Fine," Heihachi replied, getting up from the booth, and then turning to Richard. "It was Jameson's, right?"

"Yes, thanks," Richard replied, watching the powerfully built Japanese man walk across the bar to fetch another round and put in an order for chips. He had to ask. "Are you and Heihachi together?"

"No. I wish. God knows I've tried, but he's a widower and he's got a kid… just a lot of baggage, you know? Every time I see him, I renew my overtures and every time he shoots me down. Maybe one of these days I'll get the hint," Callista replied.

"Aye," Richard replied, watching Heihachi eye one of the competitors clad in skintight leather pants and a black t-shirt. He had spiky platinum hair. When the young man bent over to pick up a dart that hadn't quite made it to the board, Heihachi took the opportunity to blatantly check out his ass before bringing the drinks back to the table.

"And the chips?" Callista demanded.

"They'll bring them when they're ready. You're welcome, by the way," Heihachi told her sarcastically.

"Thank you. What do I owe you?" Richard asked, moving to take his wallet from his back pocket.

"Absolutely nothing. May I ask a personal question?"

"Sure," Richard replied.

"Who do you work for?"

"The IRA… and myself."

"And this job?"

"Freelance… over gambling debts, if you can believe it," Richard replied.

"I can. What I can't believe is that you came back here to meet the sole witness who saw your face because you find her attractive. That's the preposterous part."

"More than attractive- beautiful, but perhaps you wouldn't understand," Richard replied, raising his eyebrows and nodding almost imperceptibly towards the blond young man in the leather pants playing darts.

Heihachi shrugged with a slight smile of concession.

"Perhaps not."

"You don't think I'm beautiful?" Callista demanded with a pout.

"Of course I do. Very much so, but I'd never let an attraction to anyone interfere with my work," Heihachi replied pointedly.

Callista looked contented.

"Fair enough, but the job is done," Richard pointed out, taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Yes, but I'm sure you'll be late for your debriefing and you've put yourself in unnecessary jeopardy by being here now."

Richard shrugged.

"What can I say? You're right, but I just had to meet her," Richard reiterated.

Callista smiled.

"I'm glad to meet you, too. I love a man with a big brass pair. A lot of men in your position would've given up the shot," Callista opined, pouring ice cubes from her first gin and tonic into her mouth and chewing them.

"Aye, I suppose so and the brass ones are standard issue in Ireland," Richard quipped.

"And a lot of men would've taken you out as the only witness, but then a lot of men don't fall in love at first sight on assassination missions," Heihachi stated sarcastically, taking a sip of his scotch.

"Oh, you're just jealous nobody fell in love with you!" Callista chastised and then giggled when she noticed how badly Richard was blushing.

"That's what it is. Actually, I'm a tad irritated that Romeo here decided to shoot my opponent before I had gotten the win."

"Well, I apologize for that, but it was a good opportunity. When you kicked him into the ropes, I had a clear shot. In other words there was no danger of hitting you at that point, so that's when I took the shot."

"But Heihachi, it probably doesn't matter now… I think we're being shut down. And I say, fuck it. We're on to Madrid!"

Heihachi nodded sedately.

"What's in Madrid?" Richard asked.

"The next tournament," Callista replied and looked at Heihachi. "Have you decided whether or not you're going yet?"

Heihachi shrugged.

"I'll talk to my father tonight- see if he needs me back at the Zaibatsu. And the boy has tonsillitis again, so it sounds like I need to meet with his doctor to discuss the possibility of having them out."

"Poor lad. How old is he?" Richard asked.

"Almost four."

"Do you ever take him with you when you travel?"

"No. He'd only get in the way. "

Richard shrugged. He loved children and couldn't imagine leaving a sick three year old home with a governess while gallivanting around the world fighting in tournaments.

"Do you have kids?"

"Not yet."

"Trust me. They always get in the way," Heihachi told him.

Richard shrugged again. He supposed that maybe if he were a light in the loafers jet-setting Japanese MMA fighter he might not have any use for children either, but to that end he wouldn't have had any.

"You'll see someday," Heihachi said.

"Perhaps," Richard replied, sipping his whiskey. He very much doubted it, but it was painful to watch a man like Heihachi Mishima attempt to defend his position so poorly.

"Kids are a pain in the ass," Callista stated plainly.

He should've known then and there, but he was enchanted by that flowing blonde hair and those ice blue eyes.

"At times, I'm sure," Richard conceded.

And _this _was one of these times. Anna had fallen into a trap made to look like a kidnapping for ransom, but Richard knew better. This kidnapper didn't care about the suitcase of cash on Aiden's lap. The whole thing was a bluff and a trap and he had no choice but to walk right into it. It was the right thing to do. It would have been so easy if it had been for Nina, but for Anna it was considerably harder. She was just too much her mother.

After a couple of hours of mostly pleasant chatter at the Silver Lion, it was apparent that Heihachi Mishima had no intention of letting Richard be alone with Callista. He understood. If he were in Heihachi's position he wouldn't have done so either. As the three of them stood outside of the pub around midnight, Callista threaded her arm through Heihachi's for balance.

"When can I see you again, Callista?" Richard asked, looking into those ice blue eyes. She was so beautiful bathed in glow of the street lights and the pub signs in her dark blue fighting outfit and Heihachi's silly tiger skin jacket.

Callista laughed and Heihachi just stared at him. A lesser man would have given up under such conditions, but Richard wasn't such a man.

"Um… how about Madrid? Want to come see me fight in Madrid? That tournament is a week from yesterday, so next Friday?" Callista asked. She had consumed twice the number of drinks that he and Heihachi had.

"Sure."

"Okay. So it's at an arena in Madrid and-"

"It's at the Romero Arena and it's called 'El Día del Juicio Final'," Heihachi interjected.

"I knew that!" Callista declared, smacking Heihachi in the ribs with the arm threaded through his.

"To be sure, but at the rate you were providing details it may have taken till two in the morning to get to that point," Heihachi replied.

"And what if it did?" Callista demanded.

"Perhaps your suitor would get tired of listening to your drunken babbling and walk away," Heihachi posed.

"Would you, Richard?" Callista demanded accusingly, turning towards Richard.

"No, of course not," Richard replied.

"Well, see? There you go. He wouldn't," Callista told Heihachi.

"Fine. I think it would be wise for you to get to bed and for your new friend to leave the area. Hopefully I'll be able to make Madrid," Heihachi stated.

"Well, if you're there perhaps I'll buy you a drink," Richard replied.

"Perhaps," Heihachi agreed.

"So you're really coming then?" Callista asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Richard replied.

Callista smiled, freed her arm from Heihachi's, and embraced Richard. She smelled incredible.

"I'm taller than you!" Callista exclaimed.

"In actuality you're probably about the same height. Your shoes are making you look taller," Heihachi declared.

"Oh… how tall are you, Richard?" Callista asked.

"Five foot seven," Richard replied.

"And I'm five six and half," Callista said, arms still around his neck.

"As I said, around the same height. Now come on, Callista. It's time you went to bed," Heihachi reiterated.

"Alright. Till Friday, then," Callista said, kissing him lightly on the lips and then returning to Heihachi's side.

Richard had only nodded, unable to speak. Callista smiled back, obviously pleased by the effect. Heihachi rolled his eyes.

"Goodnight, Richard. It's been an interesting evening," Heihachi stated.

"Aye, it certainly has. Sorry about your match."

"It wasn't much of a match to begin with. He was pathetic," Heihachi replied gruffly.

"Still."

Heihachi shrugged.

Richard shrugged back. Callista waved to him. He waved back. As he watched her walk away on Heihachi's arm, he hoped she was sober enough to remember the invitation she had issued.

On Friday when he arrived at Romero Stadium, there had apparently had been no reason to worry. Dressed in a midnight blue leather jumpsuit, Callista rushed over to him as soon as he began to descend the stairs.

"You're here! I can't believe you're really here!" Callista exclaimed, embracing him as though there was no one in the world she would have rather seen.

"I said I would be," Richard replied simply, kissing her on the cheek.

"Heihachi said you would come, but I wasn't so sure," Callista said, kissing him on the lips before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the bleachers. "I've already won my first fight, so now we're waiting for the first bracket to finish. Heihachi won his fight, too, but that goes without saying. Last I knew, he's fighting with his father on the phone now... not sure who'll win that one," Callista commented with smirk, still holding his hand.

"Congratulations on your win. Did you have a tough time of it?" Richard asked.

"No... the girl I fought wasn't very good at all and she tried to scratch me, the cow," Callista replied.

Richard chuckled. Even when she was mean there was just something so endearing about her. Truth be told he had just been so enamored with her that she could do no wrong. She was rude, mean, selfish, and demanding. She drank too much and flirted with other men all the time. She had always had these faults. Richard could see that now, but at the time he had dismissed them and ignored them. Reasoning that as much as he adored her he could live with her numerous flaws, Richard made a point of seeing Callista every week. Generally he would travel to whatever tournament she was fighting in and watch her compete. When she didn't have a tournament, they would go to her flat just outside of London. The weekend before Christmas, Richard introduced Callista to his mother. After Callista had fallen asleep, drunk on his mother's couch, Richard pulled his mother into the kitchen.

"Well, what do you think?" Richard asked, smiling sheepishly at his mother.

"She's not for you, Son," Molly Williams replied plainly. It wasn't her way to sugarcoat things, but in his lovesick state he was surprised at her sound rejection of his beloved.

"What do you mean?" Richard demanded.

"Well, she's English. That should be enough of a reason, but as you've lost your head over her, I see it isn't. She's a dull and self-centered thing. Pretty enough to be sure, but once her looks fade, or even before that when your sense comes back, God willing, you'll see her for what she is and you'll have no use for her," Molly stated.

Richard shook his head in disgust. How dare she?

"Son, I'm telling you this because I love you."

"How can you say that? Don't you realize how much I love this woman? And you're telling me how horrible she is. By insulting the woman I love, you are insulting me, Mother, and I won't take it. I'm leaving," Richard declared, grabbing their coats from the hall closet and shaking Callista awake so they could leave. Richard didn't see his mother again until the girls were christened and by then Richard had known that his mother had been right about everything.

Nearly half a year later on a rainy evening in May 1964, Richard Williams had arrived at Callista's flat with Indian takeout. As a rule, Callista never cooked so Richard always brought takeout on the first evening of his visits. When Richard opened the door, he was surprised to find the apartment completely dark. He wondered if she had forgotten he was coming and gone out even though he had called her earlier in the week to let her know that he'd be there to visit her on Friday evening. After turning on the lights, Richard noticed Callista's purse hanging from one of the hooks by the door. Apparently she hadn't gone out. Setting the takeout down on the table, Richard walked to Callista's bedroom and entered the room quietly. The light was off, but as soon as he walked in, Richard saw Callista look up at him. It was obvious she had been crying. Deeply concerned, Richard sat down on the bed beside her.

"What's the matter, Sweetheart?" Richard asked, stroking her hair gently.

"I don't know yet. I see the doctor on Monday," Callista replied.

His heart sank. She must have been gravely ill.

"What is it?"

"I don't know yet, but I think I might be pregnant," Callista replied mournfully. He thought she might cry again, but she just watched him with those intensely blue eyes and waited for him to react.

Richard sighed in relief, sunk down, and kissed her forehead before straightening back up.

Callista looked up at him, confused.

"Aren't you upset?"

"No. Not at all. From the way you put it across, I was thinking the worst. This is hardly the worst."

"But my career-"

"You've only just turned twenty-four. If you are pregnant, you could go back to it if you want to after you've had the baby," Richard told her, continuing to stroke her hair.

Callista frowned and looked away.

"What?" Richard asked.

"I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for this. Maybe I shouldn't have the baby," Callista replied, still avoiding his eyes.

At that, Richard took a firm hold of Callista's face in his right hand and leaned down once more so his face was inches from her own.

"Make no mistake. If you are pregnant, you will have the child. I will help you with anything that I can possibly help you with. I love you. I want to marry you. Abortion is murder. You will not have our child murdered. Am I making myself clear?" Richard asked, in a cold voice.

"Richard, you're scaring me," Callista replied, her voice wavering.

Richard drew back from her face. He hadn't meant to scare her, but perhaps it had been necessary. With a sigh, Richard began stroking her hair again.

"I'm sorry I frightened you," Richard stated after a moment.

Callista only nodded.

"I'm not prepared. I don't have a ring yet, but if you agree to marry me, we can go out as soon as we've eaten and you can pick one out if you'd like"

Callista sighed now.

"I couldn't possibly eat. I can't keep anything down."

Richard nodded sympathetically.

"And you've missed your period?"

"Yes… but I often do anyway- from training so hard. That's why I didn't think anything of it before I started getting sick and my boobs started to hurt," Callista explained.

"I thought you were using a diaphragm."

"I was, but do you remember in Rome? I thought it might have slipped, but I was about to cum, so I didn't say anything. Believe me I would've if I had any idea this would happen," Callista told him morosely.

"It's not as bad as all that, is it?" Richard asked, stroking Callista's hair.

"I don't know, Richard. I love you, but we've only been together for eight months and for a lot of that we haven't even been together. You've been off shooting people and I've been off fighting in tournaments. I'm not even sure what it would be like to live together all the time. I've never had a live-in boyfriend," Callista said.

"I don't want to shack up with you, Callista. I want to marry you and buy you the home and things you deserve. I have the funds to do so immediately," Richard declared.

Callista looked up at him, her face pale and her eyes tired.

"But there's so much that we don't know about each other."

"Like what? I know I love you and I want you to be my wife regardless of what the doctor tells you Monday. What else do I need to know?" Richard asked.

"Like well, Callista is my middle name. My real first name is-"

"Heather. I know, Sweetheart. I've seen your passport. And you told me once when you were drunk."

Callista nodded and frowned.

"I don't think I'll make a good mother," Callista admitted.

"I think you'll be a fine mother and I'll help you with everything. So, what do you say, Heather Callista Fox? Will you marry me?" Richard demanded, heart pounding in his ears. She distressed him like nothing or nobody else.

"Aw, Richard, it's not that I don't want to marry you, but with you proposing like this, I know it's just 'cause you think I'm knocked up. Then what if I'm not and you think you have to go through with it anyway?" Callista asked, looking up at Richard.

"I'll marry you tomorrow if you like. We won't know either way, but it proves that I want to marry you whether or not you're pregnant," Richard replied, stroking Callista's hair once more and looking into her eyes.

Callista closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You really want to marry me?"

"Yes, more than anything," Richard replied.

"Can my Mum and Dad come- and my brother and sister?" Callista asked.

"Of course. You can call them now if you like. I'll just have some of the takeout… is there anything I can get you. Some toast perhaps?" Richard asked.

"Yeah, maybe. I haven't even tried to eat since nine this morning. I've been so sick. And then I brushed my teeth and that made me gag," Callista told him.

"Poor girl. How long have you been sick like this?"

"The entire week- since Monday morning," Callista replied.

"And you've yet to see a doctor?"

"I kept thinking it would stop, but it hasn't and my tits hurt now."

"Aye, you mentioned. Well, I'll make you some toast. You can call your folks. We can eat and then we'll go pick out your ring if you're feeling up to it, Sweetheart," Richard offered.

"I think so. You're sure you want to go through with this?" Callista asked, looking up at Richard.

"I've never been surer of anything in my life," Richard replied, leaning down and kissing her. And at the time it had been the truth. He had loved her so much. He was prepared to work hard to provide for her and any children they were going to have. What he was not prepared for was how _she _would turn out.

Initially, life with Callista was wonderful. After her pregnancy had been confirmed on the Monday following the wedding, Callista officially dropped out of all the tournaments she had been registered for and focused her energies on house hunting and redecorating. He had been delighted at how surprised she had been by the budget he had given her for the house. She had literally squealed and then proclaimed "We're rich!" Richard had nodded modestly with an amused smile. He had never felt the need to flaunt it, but was doing quite well for himself. When Callista picked out a mansion just a little above their price range that looked like a small castle, it was evident that he would have to continue to do well in order to give Callista the things she deserved, but he didn't mind.

When Callista unexpectedly gave birth to twin girls on December 28, 1964, Richard was ecstatic. He remembered looking at Callista in the hospital, exhausted and sweaty, holding the two little girls in her arms and a feeling a love so fierce and protective for his family that it was beyond words. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and smiled at them.

"They look like little aliens, don't they?" Callista asked, looking from girl to girl.

Richard laughed softly.

"Not at all. They're newborns. That's what they're supposed to look like. They're beautiful," Richard told her.

Callista looked from child to child again. She looked skeptical.

"But their heads-"

"Are a little misshapen from going through your birth canal. They'll round out in a little while. They're beautiful anyway," Richard told her.

Callista looked at them again.

"They don't really look like people yet."

"Of course they do. The one of the left looks like me and the one on the right looks like you. Which one did you want to call Nina?" Richard asked.

Callista looked from one child to the other again.

"I don't know. You decide."

"Alright. The fair one on the right is Nina, then. And what would you like to call her sister?" Richard asked, reaching out and gently touching the hand of the baby with the auburn hair.

"I don't know. What do you think, Richard? What would be a cute twin name?"

"We'll call her Anna. Anna and Nina. That sounds good, don't you think?" Richard asked.

"Sure," Callista replied.

Richard sighed and chewed his hangnail again. In retrospect it was plain to see that Callista hadn't seemed remotely interested in her newborn daughters. He should've seen it at the time, but he had been so enamored with his beautiful little family that he hadn't been able to properly take stock of the situation. And he had been optimistic that things would work themselves out, but when the girls were only two months old Callista began registering for tournaments again. That in and of itself had been alright; Richard had said she could resume her career after she had given birth. He just hadn't imagined she would choose to do so quite so soon after the girls were born. Even that would have been forgivable. What was unacceptable was her notion that her life ought to be unchanged by motherhood. A week before the first tournament she was registered for, Callista had wandered into den where Richard sat holding Nina while rocking Anna's cradle with his right foot.

"You're such a fool. We've got servants for all that," Callista declared, smiling as she approached him.

"A man should be foolish when it comes to his children."

"I've come to say goodbye. I'm leaving for Brussels," Callista declared.

"Isn't the Tournament next Saturday?" Richard asked, though he knew the answer for certain.

"Yes, but you know how I like to travel early, rest, scope out the competition, and all that," Callista replied.

"Which was fine before you had other obligations, but now that you do, you ought be at home until the day before the Tournament and you should return home the day after," Richard told her.

"Well, you said I could do tournaments again after I had dropped the kid, so I'm going to. You knew what it meant to me to do tournaments. I know we weren't together that long, but you knew that I arrived early and stayed until the parties were over. That is what I intend to do again," Callista replied, arms crossed.

Richard was flabbergasted. How could she do this? He had a difficult time leaving for missions that would keep him away from his family for days at a time and she was clearly contemplating traveling from tournament to tournament as she had before she had the girls.

"I don't understand why you're surprised. I made it very clear to you that I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about being a mother. I only did it for you and now you're angry at me because you counted on me changing and I didn't. I don't want to stay home having babies and running the house while you're out murdering people or whatever. I think we should both do exactly as we've always done and leave the work to the people we've hired to do it. Everyone will be happier," Callista stated.

"You think everyone will be happier? Children need parents, Callista. The best nannies and governesses are still just employees who may walk away at a better offer or for their own happiness. Our children would only be their top priority when they're on the clock. Children need to be taken care of by people who treat their comfort, safety, and happiness as their top priority at all times," Richard told her.

"Well, there you go," Callista replied with a shrug."

Richard glared at her flippant response.

"That's not my first priority. I never expected that it would be."

Richard looked at Nina and then Anna. How could she? How dare she? His blood boiled.

"Well, Heihachi Mishima has a son and-"

"Heihachi Mishima is a sociopathic, self-centered queer," Richard pronounced.

"He is not. You're just jealous," Callista replied.

"Never. It's the truth. He's a bad father. Throwing his predilection to leave home for weeks at a time in my face during an argument about parenting is extremely stupid. He's a hideous example," Richard hissed, seething but attempting to remain calm. Both girls were sleeping.

"And you, a hired gun for the IRA and God knows who else- you're so much better? You'll be a great example to the girls," Callista cracked.

Richard felt the blood rushing to his face. He was really about to lose his temper and he didn't want that. So instead he took a deep breath.

"Go," Richard told her.

Perhaps realizing just how badly she had screwed up, Callista attempted a step towards him and the children, but stopped in her tracks when their eyes met.

"Goodbye, Callista," Richard said coldly.

"I'll be home next Tuesday."

Richard responded with a curt nod. He didn't give a fuck when she'd be home. It was clear that nothing could ever be as he hoped it would be.

Initially, Callista attempted to mend fences when she came home from Brussels. She apologized to him and even spent a couple hours with the girls, feeding them, playing with them, and putting them to bed. Then they had gone to bed together. When they had finished, Callista watched him smoke his cigarette with a slight smile.

"What?" Richard asked.

"Something I thought you'd appreciate. I was venting to Heihachi about our argument. I didn't tell him what you said about him, but anyway, it seemed as though he was on your side. He said I ought to be a good wife to you and do the things a woman is supposed to do. I asked him what that meant and he said it was whatever it meant to you because you were my husband. Anyway, he said his wife never would have behaved like that and that any woman he married would never dare to behave in such a manner."

"If he marries again, I'll be shocked. I was angry, but I meant what I said. Anyway, I just want you to be home with our girls as much as you can be. They need their mother," Richard replied.

Callista nodded and then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Richard had smiled, feeling relieved.

For just over a year things were okay. Callista did as Richard had wanted, leaving for tournaments the day before the event and returning home the day after. She made a point of taking care of the girls. Richard had been delighted by her change of heart and one night after she had returned home from a tournament in Japan, Richard had been waiting for her with a candlelit dinner.

"What's all this?" Callista asked, smiling as she walked into the dining room with a suitcase in her hand and a duffel bag hanging from her shoulder.

"Dinner. The girls are already in bed," Richard told her, taking her bags and putting them down in the corner before kissing her.

"You're such a silly man," Callista said, kissing him again.

"I can't help it," Richard replied.

"I'm starving," Callista declared, giving him another quick kiss before breaking away and sitting down at the table.

"Well, then let's get started, Mrs. Williams," Richard replied, taking his seat as well. "How did the Tournament go?"

"Well, Heihachi was there, so you can imagine."

"Won again, did he?"

"Yes."

"That's a shame. Did you get to fight him?"

"No. I was one bracket away, but this big Kraut kidney punched me. Heihachi broke his nose," Callista explained happily, nearly shoving an entire dinner roll into her mouth.

"Well, that's too bad," Richard replied.

Callista shrugged.

"I met Heihachi's little boy. He had him at the Tournament and we went to dinner after. He's such a sweet little boy, but Heihachi is quite critical of him. It was hard to watch," Callista admitted.

"Poor lad."

"Yeah. It made me think how nice it is that you're so sweet with our girls," Callista replied.

Richard just smiled. He wished he could return the compliment, but mainly when Callista was with the girls she had the air of someone being greatly inconvenienced.

For the rest of the dinner they chatted pleasantly about the girls, Richard's last mission, and Callista's next tournament. Richard was as charming as he could be and kept her glass filled all evening. Finally when they were in bed, Richard kissed her earlobe and told her what was on his mind.

"I want to try for another baby. I'd like to have a son," Richard declared, kissing her bare shoulder.

"Out of the question," Callista replied, crossing her arms over her bare chest and looking at him as if he was absolutely insane.

"And why is that?" Richard demanded.

"I just don't want another kid right now. I'm barely over having the twins."

"They're already over a year old."

"I don't want to take another hiatus from my career. Maybe in a few years," Callista said.

"I suppose it doesn't matter what I want?" Richard asked.

"It's clear what you want. I feel bad, but I don't want another baby right now. I'm sorry," Callista replied.

"Does it ever occur to you that this 'career' as you call it is actually costing us money? Between entry fees and your record, it's a net loss. Perhaps you ought to retire," Richard said coldly.

With that Callista got up on her knees facing him and slapped him across the face hard.

Richard brought his hand to his lip. It was bleeding. He and Callista locked eyes.

"What I said," Richard began slowly after a moment, unsure where he was going from there.

"I know," Callista replied, moving the covers from Richard's lap and straddling him. She kissed him in spite of his bleeding lip. Richard ran his hands through her hair. Life with Callista never made sense. She was always sending mixed signals like this. Richard just closed his eyes and continued to kiss her.

The next morning, Richard apologized to Callista as they lay in bed.

"That's alright. I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't've hit you," Callista replied.

"No, but I shouldn't have said what I said," Richard said.

"Well, it was just a tense situation," Callista replied, getting out of the bed and putting on her robe.

"Aye," Richard agreed.

"But I was thinking about it this morning and in just four more years, I'll be ready to give up the tournaments and have another baby, okay?"

Richard nodded. What choice did he really have?

Just a few months after that confrontation, Heihachi Mishima inherited the Mishima Zaibatsu following the death of his father. Heihachi Mishima all but stopped attending tournaments. He only participated in a handful every year and by the time that Kazuya began competing he was semiretired. This meant that Callista began hanging around with other fighters at the tournaments she attended. Soon, Callista began leaving early for tournaments and returning a couple of days after the tournaments had ended. Richard was surprised. He had never supposed that Heihachi would be a good influence on anyone, but it seemed that his presence at the tournaments had helped to keep Callista in line. With him no longer there, Callista won more tournaments, but she also ran wild. Just about every week, she'd come home irritable, exhausted, her neck spotted with hickeys. Then she would rush upstairs and sleep often for an entire day. Disgusted and beside himself, Richard didn't know what to say or do.

Shortly after his despair set in, Richard received a phone call from Heihachi Mishima. He seethed as he picked up the telephone in his study and signaled for the butler to hang up the line in the hallway.

"Hello, this is Richard Williams," Richard stated, wondering why the Hell Heihachi would be calling him.

"Hello, Richard. This is Heihachi Mishima. From what I understand you're still in the same line of business you were in when we met?" Heihachi asked directly.

"Aye," Richard replied simply.

"Well, I've got some problems with these Russians my father hired shortly before his demise. I'd like to be rid of them," Heihachi stated.

"Aye, well, I'm sure there are other men who could accomplish such a task for you."

"I'm sure, but I was so impressed with your work on the night of our first meeting that I'd like to hire you. If you do well, there would be more work for you and I appreciate that your services are worth a great deal."

"And typically a pitch like that would entice me, but I've got problems of my own at the moment," Richard replied.

"Fair enough. Additionally, from what I've heard it sounds as if Callista's behavior has grown increasingly erratic and irresponsible. She was never exactly a subdued girl, but lately I've heard that she been acting quite disgraceful."

"Aye. During the little time she's spends at home all of that's apparent."

"Well, it's a shame anyway. She'd been doing so well."

"It seems that you helped to keep her behavior in check."

"Perhaps. I apologize that my other obligations take me away from the tournament circuit."

"It's not your fault. You're not her babysitter," Richard stated impassively.

"If you're ever interested in surveillance, I can give you the business card of a gentleman who works for me on occasion." Heihachi offered.

"Aye, thanks," Richard replied. He sighed. Heihachi had volunteered information about Callista and offered assistance even after he had turned him down. He was a very wealthy and powerful man. Perhaps he ought to reconsider Heihachi's initial proposal.

"You're welcome. I suppose that's all for now."

"I've been thinking it over and I will do the job for you if that's what you want," Richard told him.

"Thank you. I will send a file to you through a courier service. Expect the courier to arrive in two days. In addition to the file, he will also be carrying your retainer fee. After the completion of the job, I will send payment in full. Do you have any questions?"

"None. Thank you for the information and the opportunity."

"Not a problem. I'll send the business card along with the file. Thanks again," Heihachi told him.

"You're welcome. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Heihachi replied.

Richard sighed again as he hung up the phone. He had never envisioned himself working for Heihachi Mishima. He had never trusted or liked Mishima, but he had made a point of telling him about Callista's behavior. Richard lit a cigarette and put his feet up on his desk. He supposed that life was funny sometimes.

Killing the two Russians was easy and lucrative. Heihachi had been very impressed with his efficiency and professionalism. There were many more jobs to follow. Richard wondered how a businessman would make such enemies as those Heihachi had, but he never asked. He just took aim, fired, and reaped the rewards. In an act of tacit acknowledgement that Callista was failing as a mother, Richard asked his own mother, Molly, to move into a guest house on the property to help look after the girls when both he and Callista were absent. Without so much as an 'I-told-you-so,' Molly did as her son asked and spent much of her time with the girls. This arrangement irritated Callista, but Richard no longer cared. If she wasn't going to be a good mother and if he had to work so hard to maintain the lifestyle that she wanted and the girls deserved, then he was going to make sure that the girls were well cared for one way or another.

Life continued much in this fashion during the next several years. Richard found himself growing steadily richer and more resentful of Callista. To the financial end, Heihachi arranged a meeting for him with his own financial guru, Akira Kyamata, in order to set up his portfolio. Though eccentric and somewhat abrasive, Kyamata was clearly an expert in financial matters and Richard's fortune continued to grow. Though appreciative of Heihachi's initial suggestion, Richard never had Callista tailed or watched; he didn't have to in order to know what she was doing. Richard contemplated divorcing Callista, but it was against his Catholics beliefs. And as much as he typically hated her, when she was home he often found himself still hopelessly attracted to her and sometimes they still had fun together. Sometimes when she was sober and well rested, she would play with the girls and that always warmed his heart. Anna loved to brush Callista's beautiful blonde hair and Nina always wanted to fight her. On her best days, Callista allowed Anna to brush her hair for upwards of an hour and permitted Nina to pummel her with her little fists before patiently attempting to teach her some moves. Jealous of the attention Nina was receiving from their mother, Anna would typically attempt to join in during the lesson and Nina would pout and pinch Anna when Callista wasn't watching. One day, Callista caught her and delivered a swift smack to Nina's bottom.

"You pay attention and don't pinch your sister!" Callista railed at the four year girl as Richard trotted across the lawn to put a stop to the lesson for the day. Nina just stood in front of her mother unflinchingly while Anna burst into tears.

"Mommy, she didn't really hurt me!" Anna wailed.

"It doesn't matter. She ought not be doing that," Callista replied, picking Anna up with the same quickness that she spanked her sister with. "Shhh! You're alright and Nina's alright."

"Callista, perhaps it's time to end the lesson for the day. Maybe the girls ought to have a snack and I'll read them a story," Richard suggested as Nina took his hand.

"I want to stay with Mommy," Anna replied, clinging tightly to her mother.

Richard looked at Callista.

"I don't mind, Richard. Do you want to go swimming, Pretty Girl?" Callista asked Anna. Sniffling and wiping her nose on the back of her hand, Anna nodded.

"And what did you want to do? Do you want to swim with your mother and sister or did you want to go in and have a story?" Richard asked.

"I want to have a story with you," Nina replied, holding fast to Richard's hand.

"Alright… well, enjoy your swim, ladies. See you at dinner," Richard declared.

"Okay," Callista replied, turning with Anna still on her hip and walking towards the pool and the cabana.

On their walk back to the house, Nina looked up at her father.

"Something on your mind?"

"Aye. I don't think Mum likes me very much," Nina replied matter-of-factly.

"Of course she does. She loves you and your sister more than anything," Richard told her. He was unsure if this was the truth, but it should have been.

"Mum isn't very nice," Nina stated quite frankly.

"Granted… perhaps she could be nicer, but you shouldn't pinch your sister. _That _isn't very nice," Richard pointed out.

"You gonna punish me?" Nina asked, looking up at Richard with her big blue eyes. Just like Callista's, only innocent.

"No, I'm not. I think the smack was punishment enough."

"Thanks."

"Of course, but at times like that, you've got to share your mother with your sister. No pulling faces or pinching," Richard told her as he opened the front door of the house for her.

"But she doesn't care about learning to fight… she just wants attention," Nina replied.

"Whatever the case may be, you should be fair with her," Richard said as they walked into the kitchen to get a snack.

Nina shrugged.

"Don't shrug. Nod to show understanding and agreement," Richard stated, feigning strictness with his favorite daughter.

"I'll 'gree with, but just to make you happy," Nina replied

"Well, thanks just the same," Richard replied, unable to keep himself from smiling. She was so adorable.

"You're welcome. May I have three cookies?"

"No, two," Richard replied.

"Can we have tea?"

"Sure. Good idea," Richard replied, putting the kettle on.

"Can we have the story of "Cinderella" that you read to me? Where the horrible step-sisters cut off bits of their feet to fit into the slippers?" Nina asked, excited at the prospect of the gore.

"Aye… you like that one because your sister doesn't, don't you?" Richard asked.

"She's such a scaredy baby cat," Nina replied.

"That would make her a scaredy kitten, but that's not very nice, either," Richard informed her.

"Well, she is."

"Well, I don't care if she is. You still ought to be nice to and about your sister," Richard said.

Nina rolled her eyes.

"Don't be rolling your eyes at me."

"Sorry, Daddy."

"That's okay. Just try to get along. She's the only sister you've got and she may be the only one you ever get."

Nina nodded and silently reached for her father's hand again without saying a word.

If it had been _her_ it would have been easy to do this. He would have run into a burning building without even thinking twice for her, but for Anna? This was harder to bear. It frankly seemed like a waste. He had always been so careful throughout his career. He had beaten cancer. And for this? A death sentence courtesy of his inferior daughter. Richard took a deep breath as continued to drive down the highway to meet his fate.

Callista met her fate on August 22nd 1970. It had been a Saturday. It was a week after Richard had walked into their bedroom and found her sitting with her bare legs dangling over the arm of the chair, just staring off into space with a gin and tonic in her hand. She looked as though she had been crying.

"What's the matter?" Richard asked.

"Nothing," Callista lied.

Richard looked at her.

"Something, I think," Richard insisted.

Callista glared daggers at him. The blue of her eyes deepened by the blue negligee she was wearing. She took a sip of her drink.

"Fine… I'm knocked up."

"You're pregnant?" Richard asked incredulously.

"I know you're a quick one, so if I'm nine weeks pregnant, that means?"

"I'm not the father," Richard supplied coolly.

"Right… but don't worry. I'll be rid of it next week. It's easy enough," Callista stated indifferently.

"You will not. I don't care whose bastard it is. You will not get an abortion. I forbid it," Richard replied forcefully.

Callista only laughed.

"Richard, I have no intention of having this baby. The father of this child would understand and approve and you have no right to forbid me from anything."

"I'm your husband."

"For now. Perhaps we ought to remedy that soon… but in any case, I'm not having this child. You've no say over it. You never have- not even when I loved you," Callista declared.

Richard stared at her, his calculating mind considering what she was saying. No matter how horrible she had become, it wasn't possible that she had done what it sounded like she had. Or was it?

"I have no say over it, do I?" Richard asked, leaning down and grabbing Callista's pretty face roughly with his right hand.

"No," Callista replied unflinchingly, looking him directly in the eye.

"And I never have?" Richard asked.

"No," Callista replied.

"And 'it's easy enough,' aye? How would you know that, Mrs. Williams?" Richard demanded, moving his own face closer to hers.

"I've heard it's easy enough from some of the other female fighters," Callista replied, looking down. She was lying. She didn't make friends with other women.

"How many of our children have you killed?" Richard demanded.

"None. I told you. I've never-"

"Bullshit!" Richard roared, squeezing Callista's face harder and grabbing her right shoulder with his left hand.

"Richard, you're scaring me," Callista stated just as she had several years ago in that same wavering voice.

"Good," Richard replied, letting go of her face and her shoulder and then leaving the room. For a long time, he didn't know what to do with himself. He wandered the halls. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat at his desk. When he finished his drink he walked to Nina's room and looked in on her. He listened to her slow even breaths for a moment before crossing the hall and looking in on Anna. She had kicked her covers off and Richard covered her back over with the blankets before leaving the room. He sighed as he stood in the middle of the hall. He knew what he had to do.

Though Heihachi had provided him with the contact information for his surveillance expert over a year before, he had never had occasion to use it prior to this. He knew that she was unfaithful, but it hadn't been terribly important. The main thing was that the children were safe and happy. He had never dreamed she would stoop so low. When she left for London on Wednesday for a tournament on Saturday, Richard had her watched. She reportedly went through with the abortion on Friday morning at a London clinic. The investigator had found that Heather Fox had been to the clinic three times prior. Once in 1962 before they had met, again in May 1966, and most recently in July 1968. It was the middle date that made him feel physically ill. He remembered the night in late February when they had fought and made up. On Saturday morning, Richard boarded a plane for London with absolute certainty.

From the top of a fashionable London high-rise, on a warm August night Richard watched his beautiful wife through a scope. In her eleventh floor hotel room, she was mixing drinks and talking in an animated fashion to a tall blond man lounging on the bed. Apparently a Swedish fighter by the name of Gustav Eriksson. It seemed they had been lovers for the past six months. The investigator had been very thorough and efficient. With a deep breath, Richard prayed in earnest that he was doing the right thing. After a slow exhalation, Richard paused deliberately and squeezed the trigger. The Swede fell back on the bed, his blood and brain matter splattered on the nightstand and lamp. With startling composure, Callista made her way to the window and looked up towards him, her beautiful face defiant to the last. With a heavy heart, Richard did what he knew he had to do.

Just as he was doing now. Richard exited the highway and drove to the old cannery. He chewed his hangnail again. Aiden glanced over at him, but didn't say anything. Good boy, Richard thought as he pulled into the parking lot. The only other cars in the lot were a black van and a nondescript black sedan.

"Are you ready, son?" Richard asked Aiden.

"Yes," Aiden replied.

Richard nodded then and both men exited the car. They walked together to the cannery entrance where Richard made a fist and banged on the door. In a few moments, a large man opened the door.

"You have the money?" he asked with a thick Scottish accent.

"Yes," Aiden replied, lifting the metal briefcase slightly.

"Good. Cross the factory floor, then go down the hall and to the left," the Scotsman declared. Richard noted his black uniform, complete with what appeared to be built in patches of body armor. They looked quite clever and functional. Following the guard's instructions, they reached another guard in the same uniform standing outside of the room at the end of the hall on the left. The guard outside of the room picked up his walkie-talkie as they approached.

"They're here. Should I send them in?" the young man asked. He had an American accent and the same smart uniform.

"Roger that," a British voice answered.

The American opened the door without saying a word to them.

Tied to the chair behind an old, water-stained desk, Anna looked at her father. She had a black eye and bloody lip, but she seemed alert. He wasn't surprised. She hadn't been the target either.

"Daddy, I'm sorry," Anna began in a wavering voice, tearing filling her eyes immediately. Richard held up his hand, signifying for her to stop. She sniffled and then became very quiet.

"Well, my associate at the door tells me that you have the money."

"Aye," Richard replied, motioning for Aiden to come forward and put the briefcase on the desk. Richard opened it so that the British man could view the neatly strapped US currency. Richard observed the men stationed in each corner of the room. One appeared to be Filipino, another appeared to be a very dark skinned African, and the two others were Caucasian. They all had the exact same uniform except for the Brit. He had some sort of patch near his left shoulder. As the Brit approached the suitcase, the African and the Filipino fell in place behind him. The Brit did a gross count of the bills, fanned each pack, and then brought his radio to mouth.

"It's all here," the Brit declared.

"Good. Release Miss Scarlet. Repeat: Release Miss Scarlet to Colonel Mustard."

"Roger that," the Brit replied, and then looked to the Caucasian boys. "Release her."

The young men silently came forward and cut the ropes that had been binding her to the chair and the piece of rope binding her hands together. Almost stumbling, Anna ran to her father and began to sob.

"Oh, Daddy! I was so afraid you wouldn't come" Anna sobbed.

"Shhh. Nothing could stop me, Princess, but now you have to collect yourself. You walk out with him," Richard stated, indicating to Aiden. He intended to be a lone target.

Anna nodded obediently and edged toward Aiden.

"Are we square?" Richard asked the Brit.

"Yes, you are free to go."

With that, Richard led the way across the cannery floor, looking back at Anna only once. She smiled weakly at him. He smiled back and then turned around. It was worth it. He would have done it all over again. When they reached the doorway, Richard waited for Aiden and Anna.

"Go out first. Head directly to the car. Make sure she's safe, no matter what," Richard told Aiden.

Aiden nodded grimly. Perhaps he had figured it out. Good lad.

"Go," Richard instructed. Aiden and Anna obeyed heading across the parking lot in fast walk. Richard waited until they were about halfway across the lot and then began his walk. His eyes searched the hills across the way for the marksman he knew was there waiting for him. He thought of Callista looking for him in the beginning and the end and wondered if he'd see her again. In Heaven or Hell- he wasn't sure. As Aiden deposited Anna into the backseat safely, Richard breathed a slight sigh of relief and thought, 'Thank G-"

Aiden O'Meara had sensed that Richard expected major trouble. When Richard had emerged from his study earlier that evening his face had been grim.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Nina asked. She had been cleaning her Colt .45 at the kitchen table. Aiden had been making tea.

"Your sister has been kidnapped for ransom. I'm going down to the safe. Then I'll go and get her, I suppose."

"What a moron. I'll be ready to go in just a minute," Nina told her father.

"You better not, Sweetheart," Richard replied.

Nina's brows furrowed and she looked at Aiden. Richard also looked at him.

"You get ready, young man," Richard instructed.

"Yes, Sir," Aiden replied, though slightly taken aback by Nina's exclusion rapidly followed by his inclusion in the endeavor. When Richard had descended to the basement, Nina got up and took her mug down from the cabinet mechanically.

"If Dad isn't letting me go with him, that means he thinks something bad is going to happen. You be careful. You take care of yourself and do what you can to help my father," Nina told him, pouring the water into the purple mug.

Aiden looked at her. She looked worried. He hadn't seen her look this worried since she had found out that her father had cancer.

"I will," Aiden replied, taking the mug from her hand gently and setting it on the counter. He hugged her and kissed the top of her left ear. He loved her more than anything and it bothered him to see her so anxious- especially when it seemed as though she might have good reason to be.

"I just wish he'd let me go. _I _can help. God, if I were him I think I just give her up. Stupid bitch," Nina declared, breaking free from the embrace with a burst of violent anger.

"You wouldn't do that. I know you wouldn't. You're better than that. You love your sister," Aiden replied, walking into the hallway by the door and grabbing his boots. He sat down at one of the chairs at the kitchen table to put his boots on.

Nina merely gave him a skeptical look before returning to the task at hand on the kitchen table.

"You do," Aiden insisted, finishing up with his boots and walking over to the counter and retrieving her tea. He set it down on the placemat across from her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I just can't help but be worried," Nina reiterated, staring up at him with those big blue eyes.

"I know and I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do to reassure you," Aiden replied.

Nina just smiled slightly.

"I know you'll do the best you can."

Aiden only nodded.

"Dad really likes you."

"Well, good."

"Yeah… he was asking me the other day when he thought we'd be married. It was weird."

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to it, too," Aiden cracked.

"I don't mean it in a bad way. It was a weird conversation. He told me how much he didn't like me dating Lee, is all. Or Anna dating Kazuya, for that matter. He said he was really glad I found someone like you and wishes Anna would do the same," Nina explained before going back to her work.

"Well, I think what would make you happy versus what would make your sister happy is very different. It's not necessarily a bad thing. So… what did you tell him about the first thing?" Aiden asked.

"What first thing?" Nina responded, without looking up from her pistol.

"When will we be getting married?"

"You haven't even proposed yet. Don't be obnoxious," Nina replied.

Aiden just smiled. He knew that he wanted to marry Nina Williams from the moment he had set eyes on her in MacDonald's Pub in New York on St. Patrick's Day. Even whilst swilling green beer and wearing a goofy headband with sparkly shamrocks affixed to the top of two metal springs with a shamrock painted on her cheek, Nina Williams had been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Even after talking to her and finding that she had no clue how the shamrock had gotten on her cheek and that she had a boyfriend that she was quite irritated with for not joining the festivities, he still wanted nothing more than to make that woman his wife. He just knew. Even while she was waffling over what to do about Lee, he had been patient. He believed that she would choose him. She just had to. God could never be so cruel. e aHe e

e HH

"I'd marry you at the drop of a hat. You know that," Aiden told her quietly.

Nina looked up from her work and smiled at him.

Aiden smiled back and went to the hall and donned his coat.

"Be safe… okay?" Nina asked, standing up from the table, trying not to wring her hands.

"I will," Aiden replied, embracing her again. This time she squeezed him hard.

"I love you," Nina whispered in his ear.

"I love you, too," Aiden replied, kissing her softly on the lips.

This time Nina broke away gently and returned to her spot at the kitchen table. Aiden could hear Richard slowly making his way back up the stairs.

"Dad, I wish you'd change your mind," Nina declared as soon as her father opened the door from the basement. He had a metal briefcase in his right hand.

"Well, I'm not going to. Sorry."

"But I could help."

"Sure. But you could also become a target. Best not to go. Be reasonable, Sweetheart," Richard requested.

Nina nodded with a frown.

"Attagirl. Now come here," Richard demanded, putting the briefcase down by his side.

Nina stood up and walked over to her father and hugged him. He hugged her back.

"I love you, Sweetheart."

"I love you, too, Dad. Be safe. "

"Aye, I'll do my best."

"Dad, you don't have to- couldn't you send someone else?" Nina asked.

"No. It was one of the stipulations."

"Maybe we don't have to-"

"Well, if we don't get her within twenty-four hours, the gentleman on the phone said they'll kill her. I won't be having that on my conscience." Richard interrupted, clearly beginning to lose patience with his favorite daughter.

"Dad, this sounds bad. Really bad," Nina opined.

"Aye. That it does, daughter," Richard agreed, picking up the briefcase and heading towards the door.

As he walked by Aiden stopped and hugged Nina again.

"Be safe. Listen to my father. I love you," Nina whispered.

"I love you, too." Aiden replied. He wished he could promise her that everything would be fine, but his gut was telling him that it would not be.

With that, Aiden walked out to the car. Richard was already in the driver's seat, so Aiden got in on the passenger side.

"Thank you for coming, son. Put your seatbelt on and then hold the suitcase, please."

Aiden only nodded and pulled the suitcase onto his lap. The two men rode in silence. Richard appeared to be deep in thought. He occasionally chewed a hangnail. Aiden wondered how bad it would be. He prayed silently. When they pulled into the old cannery and Richard parked the car.

"Are you ready, son?" Richard asked, turning to him.

"Yes," Aiden replied.

Richard nodded again and they had gone inside. They had retrieved Anna. Aiden had gotten her to the car as instructed. Then he heard the shot. He turned around and saw Richard lying face down on the pavement. He heard Anna scream.

Aiden turned back around.

"Stay in the car," Aiden demanded.

"But-"

"Do as I say," Aiden commanded and then turned around. He ran towards Richard and turned him over and then dragged him by armpits to the car. Aiden watched his head loll and blood gush from a high head wound. He wondered how he would tell Nina.

"Is he?" Anna asked, seemingly unable to bring herself to use the word 'dead.'

"I think so. I'm sorry. Anna, you've got pull him into the car. I'll help with his legs. Okay?" Aiden asked.

Anna nodded, and moved toward him. Taking a deep breath and stifling a sob when she saw her father's ashen face and mortal head wound, Anna did as she was told and helped pull her father into the car. She cradled his head on her lap as Aiden positioned his legs. After he succeeded, he shut the door and ran around to the driver's side of the vehicle and got in. Shit. The keys.

"Anna. You've got to get the keys from your father's pocket, okay?" Aiden asked.

Anna nodded and obeyed Aiden. He took the key from her bloody hand and started the car.

As they drove towards the Holy Cross Hospital at top speed, Anna made a startling declaration.

"He's still alive. I checked his pulse. He's still alive."

Aiden looked in the rearview mirror and nodded. She might not be mistaken. It was possible that Richard Williams was alive, but even if he was, Aiden suspected it wouldn't be for long.

After a few minutes of fast but careful driving, Aiden pulled up in front of the emergency entrance of Holy Cross Hospital and honked the horn. Two nurses ran out of the building. Upon seeing the situation, one ran back inside for additional assistance while the other opened the backdoor of the car and began an examination.

"Gunshot wound to the head," Aiden stated, turning around and looking at the nurse.

The nurse nodded once and took his pulse.

"The pulse is thready. We've got a team coming out." The nurse then caught a glimpse of Anna's face. "Are you badly hurt, Miss?"

"No, I'm fine. Just help my Daddy," Anna replied.

The nurse nodded again and moved out of the way so that the approaching medical team could begin their work. Once Richard had been loaded onto the gurney, Anna crawled out of the backseat of the car. She was positively covered in blood from just below her breasts to her knees.

"I'll be inside as soon as I move the car. And I'll call Nina," Aiden told her.

Anna nodded without looking back at him and walked with the rest of the group into the hospital.

Aiden leaned into the back of the car and closed the backdoor before moving the car to a parking spot. He took a deep breath. How was he going to tell her?

When the phone rang, Nina knew what had happened.

"Hello?"

"Nina… we're at Holy Cross Hospital. Your father's been shot."

"Aye… how bad is it?" Nina asked.

"He's been shot in the head. He's been stabilized, but he's in critical condition. It's not good," Aiden told her.

"I'm on my way."

"Your sister is fine. A little shaken, but she'll be alright."

Nina didn't respond. She just hung up the phone. She didn't care if Anna was alright. Anna had gotten their father killed with her incompetence.

Nina drove to the hospital at top speed and parked her car next to her father's car. She ran inside. Aiden was waiting for her by the reception desk. His face looked exceedingly grim. He opened his arms to her. She stepped into the hug because she felt she ought to. She didn't want a hug. She wanted to see her father and backhand her sister.

"I'm so sorry," Aiden whispered as he held her.

"Don't. There's no need. I'm sure you did all you could," Nina replied curtly. There was no time for Aiden's feminine oversensitivity.

"I did… I just wish-"

"Don't," Nina interrupted and broke away from Aiden's embrace. "I know you did your best. I just want to see my father."

Aiden nodded, took her by the arm, and walked her to her father's room. Anna was sitting by the bedside, holding his hand. He had an IV running from his hand and he was hooked up to a ventilator. She had been crying. Good. It was all her fault.

"Nina," Anna began, getting up and rushing toward her sister. Nina coldly appraised the black eye, busted lip, and bloody clothing. She deserved so much worse.

"Don't," Nina declared, thrusting out her hand to keep Anna away from her.

"Nina, I-"

"Don't. I can't tolerate your excuses. You killed our father with your negligence and stupidity. Do you understand that?" Nina asked.

"Nina, I-"

"No!" Nina thundered, grabbing Anna by the shoulder and shaking her. "Do you understand that, you stupid bitch?!"

Anna face instantly went from sad to ferocious as she slapped Nina hard across the face.

"Don't say that! Don't you dare say that!" Anna screeched, as Aiden rushed forward to pull Nina back so she couldn't retaliate. Nina wanted to roll her eyes and fling him aside like a ragdoll, but she supposed she'd tolerate it.

"Ladies," Aiden began quietly.

"Daddy will be fine. You'll see. He beat cancer. He can recover from this!" Anna declared.

Nina wanted to tell her sister just how stupid that was. Even if he lived through this, he would never recover. Nina took a deep breath and tried to think of a more gentle way to explain.

"Anna, even if the wound heals, Dad would never be the same again. Depending on how bad the damage is, we may have to make a decision-"

"That doesn't have to happen! Don't you dare! Daddy will be just fine!" Anna insisted loudly. A nurse stepped into the room.

"Ladies, if you can't control yourselves, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the large-boned middle-aged nurse declared.

"Make her leave! She wants to kill our father!" Anna yelled.

The nurse looked to Nina and waited for her to explain herself.

"She was just explaining to her sister that they may have to make a decision whether or not to keep him on life support." Aiden stated quietly.

The nurse looked back at Anna, taking in the bloody clothes, black eye, and bruised lip. She appeared to be making a judgment call of her own.

"Come on, dear. We ought to have you cleaned up and looked at. You look like you've been through an ordeal, as well," the nurse declared.

"No, I'm fine," Anna replied, shaking her head.

"Still, I'd feel better if we had you looked at," the nurse insisted.

"No… I need to stay with my father. If I don't, she'll kill him," Anna insisted, backing towards their father's bed.

Nina grabbed Aiden's hand and squeezed it. Anna appeared to be losing it.

"Your sister will not kill your father. Now will you come and let a doctor take a look at you or do I have to have an orderly come and get you?" the nurse asked.

"I'm really okay," Anna insisted.

"If you're alright, it should only take a minute. Besides, it would be good to get you cleaned up," the nurse insisted.

Anna sighed.

"If I do it, then you leave me alone," Anna stated.

"Yes, dear," the nurse replied.

"Fine. Let's get it over with," Anna said, following the nurse out of the room.

Nina looked at Aiden once Anna had left the room and he said what she was thinking.

"I don't think your sister is okay."

"No," Nina agreed, shaking her head and taking the seat by her father's bedside where Anna had been sitting.

"Do you think they'll admit her?"

"If she's dumb enough to tell them she's just been released from a kidnapping, yes," Nina replied, taking her father's hand and looking at him. She took a deep breath and began to mentally prepare for what she knew she would have to do.

"They said he's been stabilized?" Nina asked after a few minutes.

"Yes."

Nina nodded.

"Sooner or later, they're going to come in and they're going to talk to me about what needs to be done. And you know what I'm going to have to do. It's a hard decision, but that's why he left it to me," Nina explained, looking at her father as she spoke. "He knew that Anna would act like she's acting now."

"She's been through a lot today. Have some sympathy."

"Aye, but regardless. He knew she wouldn't be able to handle it regardless," Nina replied dismissively.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Nina replied. She had no choice but to be 'alright.'

"It's okay if you're not."

"I have decisions to make, a funeral to plan, and then I have to get to the bottom of this. Acting as Anna chooses to is futile," Nina replied, still looking at her father.

"How come when your father was sick you -"

"That we hadn't prepared for. This, we have," Nina replied.

"And if it were me lying there?"

She looked up at him for the first time since she had sat down.

"Don't say that. Just- don't do this to me now, okay? You know how much I love my father and this is how he wanted me to handle this scenario. And you… I'm always terrified of losing you," Nina finished, tears in her eyes. She turned back to her father.

Aiden came over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I should've known that you were just doing as you'd been taught. And I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry."

"You don't know that. None of us knows that," Nina replied.

"True enough, but I would never leave your side of my own volition."

"Well, I appreciate that. Our lives are dangerous. We shouldn't make promises we can't keep." Nina explained.

"We don't have to keep it up. We can retire. Do something different."

"I don't know how to do anything different."

"Sure you do. When we met you were a hostess."

"Don't remind me," Nina replied. She had done it for Lee. That was the only reason she had done it and she didn't want to discuss it.

"I'm not suggesting you do that again. I'm just saying that you could do something else."

"I don't want to do anything else. I want to make sure that whoever is responsible for this pays. Maybe when we have kids," Nina stated. She had always promised herself that if she ever had children, she would be a much better mother than her mother had been. After she had begun working for her father and the IRA, she realized that this would mean retirement.

"Fair enough," Aiden replied.

"Miss Williams?" a young doctor asked as he walked through the door.

Nina nodded and rose from the chair.

"If you'll excuse us," the doctor told Aiden.

Aiden nodded and went into the hall. Nina stood and waited for the doctor to speak.

"Miss Nina Williams?"

"Yes."

"In your father's advance health care directive, you are stated as his proxy."

"Aye. To that end, I have some questions."

The young doctor nodded.

"Is there any chance that my father will recover?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"And if you removed him from the life support systems?"

"It would be a matter of minutes."

Nina nodded. It was all she needed to hear.

"After Last Rites are administered, I'd like you to proceed in removing the life support systems then," Nina stated. She felt numb.

"I can offer you more specific details-"

"Those were the questions he wanted me to ask. This is what he wanted me to do in light of your answers. Unless you have any information that changes the answer to either of those questions, I don't need to hear any more to make my decision," Nina told the doctor.

The doctor nodded.

"In that case, I have papers for you to sign. I'll be back with them within the hour."

"Thank you, Doctor," Nina replied. She walked back over to the bed and sat down on the chair by her father. She gently took his hand again.

Aiden walked back into the room. He looked at her.

"They're bringing papers for me to sign. Could you call Father Callahan to do the Last Rites? Then it'll be over," Nina stated.

Aiden nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too," Nina replied, again not taking her eyes away from her father. This was the most difficult and terrible thing she had ever had to do in her life.

After leaving the room briefly to call the priest, Aiden returned to the room, walked over, and stood beside her. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Father Callahan will be here as soon as possible."

Nina nodded and they waited in silence until the old priest arrived and carried out his work. When he was finished, he turned to her.

"God bless you, Girl. This is what's best for your father. He'll be with the Lord soon."

Nina nodded, wishing she could take comfort in that.

"Where is your sister?"

"Oh, she's had an ordeal of her own today. The nurse that was in here thought she ought to be examined."

"Poor child. I'll go try to seek her out," Father Callahan said.

Nina nodded. Father Callahan had liked Anna better ever since they were six and he had caught her cutting bits of Anna's hair off during Sunday school instead of cutting out pictures of the Apostles.

She had stood unflinchingly when Father had called her a bully, but when her father had given her a disapproving glance for her actions when Father Callahan related the story to him, Nina had dissolved into tears. Anna had stuck her tongue out at her. It was strange how so little had fundamentally changed since they were children.

In a few minutes after the priest left, the doctor returned with a nurse and a clipboard. In a surreal moment, Nina signed the paper and thanked the doctor. He put down the clipboard and he and the nurse began their terrible work.

Nina walked back over to Aiden. There were tears in her eyes again.

"Should you be doing this without your sister?" Aiden asked quietly.

"This was my decision to make. I was my father's healthcare proxy. He didn't think Anna could handle this. I think he was absolutely right and I think with the situation being what it is, I couldn't stand being in a room with her right now," Nina replied.

"Fair enough, but she is going to be upset with you and she will be justified," Aiden told her.

Nina nodded once.

"That's fine. If you have any more to say on this subject, I suggest you leave. I have no interest in hearing it. I'll have peace now," Nina declared firmly, eyes back on her father. She couldn't believe this was happening.

Aiden didn't say anything more, but remained by her side.

Once the doctor and nurse had finished flipping switches and unhooking apparatuses, they made a swift exit and left Nina alone again with Aiden and her father.

"I just wish he hadn't gone. He knew it was a set up. He knew he was the target. She's not worth it."

"Clearly, he didn't feel that way, Nina."

"He was just doing what he had to do. He didn't want to. I know," Nina replied, her voice breaking a little and tears running down her face.

"Well, regardless, it's done now. It can't be changed. It was the right thing to do and he knew it, so he did it."

Nina nodded.

"I just wish he hadn't."

"I know."

Nina looked down again at her father's bedside and took his hand again. Tears were streaming down her face. How could this be happening? She was grateful Aiden just stood by her side. He didn't say anything or even try to touch her and that had been exactly the right thing to do.

After a quarter of an hour that felt like an eternity, the blips of the heart monitored slowed and finally stopped. Glancing at the flat line and hearing the even tone, Nina looked back at her father. She brought his hand to her lips and kissed it before placing it on his chest.

"We prepared for this, but nothing can really make you ready, you know?" Nina declared after a moment, her voice a little shaky.

"I'm so sorry," Aiden reiterated.

"It's not your fault. If it's anyone's, it's Anna's, but that doesn't even matter anymore. What matters now is that we find out who did this and make them pay," Nina replied.

"I don't know. Whoever did this, Nina… they were like mercenaries or a militia or something. It was like nothing I've ever seen before."

"We will talk more about this. What you remember is important, but make no mistake. I will avenge my father," Nina stated firmly.

"Nina, I wish-"

"Shh… the doctor is coming," Nina interrupted. Besides, she didn't want to hear any more excuses. Whoever killed her father would be held accountable. With or without Aiden's assistance or support, she would see the responsible party suffer. It was the only thought that remotely comforted her as the young doctor pronounced her father dead.

Anna Williams had endured a lot of heartache in her young life. She lost her mother when she was six. At thirteen, she had found out that her father had been her mother's killer. A little over two years ago, she had made a huge mistake and had gotten the child of the love of her life aborted. Shortly after that, he had been attacked by his father's squad of hired thugs and injected with some sort of virus or experimental drug that had rendered him cold and cruel in a way she had never believed he could ever be. She had pined for Kazuya ever since he had pushed her away after his attack. She had never stopped loving him… even when she had been so upset with him after the abortion and then again when he had spurned her and subsequently took up with his adopted brother. It hurt every morning to get up and exist in a world where she knew Kazuya no longer loved her and was with somebody else. All of this had pained and tried her, but nothing compared to the loss of her father.

When the stupid nurse and the doctor she called in had been satisfied that she was alright, Anna practically ran back to her father's room. When she reached the room, what she found upset her immensely. Two nurses were unhooking her obviously dead father from the machines and telemetry he had been hooked up to when she had left. She turned to Nina who was standing almost in the corner with Aiden.

"You didn't have the right to do this, Nina," Anna hissed.

"Of course I did. I was his healthcare proxy," Nina replied coldly.

"Fine… legally you may have had the right, but maybe something could have been done. We could have hired specialists or-"

"When I became Dad's healthcare proxy, there were two things he wanted me to ask in a situation like this one. Would he recover, and if so to what degree, and what would happen if he were to be removed from the life support systems. I asked the questions and I made my decisions based on the answers. It's exactly what Dad wanted done."

"Did you get Father Callahan?"

"Yes… he was going to try to look for you before he left. I guess he didn't find you," Nina replied.

"I still can't believe you did this. You didn't try anything. You didn't even consult me. You didn't even let me say goodbye," Anna said, her voice starting to tremble.

"Well, I thought maybe you'd said it when he walked into such an obvious trap to save you. How could you have allowed this to happen?" Nina hissed.

"Ladies. That's quite enough," Aiden stated firmly, eyeing the nurses. "Anna, did you want a moment-"

"No… he's not there. It's no use," Anna replied, glancing over at her father's lifeless body.

"Alright. No fighting. What's done is done," Aiden declared.

Nina gave him an irritated look. Anna was grateful that he could at least temporarily keep Nina's temper in check. After the nurses finished their work and their father had been wheeled from the room on a gurney with a white sheet pulled over him, the three of them exited the hospital together.

Once outside in the warm summer night air, Aiden walked to her father's car and got in. Anna contemplated her options. If it didn't involve riding in that car when she had cradled her dying father's head in her lap hours before, she would have much rather ridden home with Aiden. He seemed sympathetic. He was trying to take charge and be fair while Nina was being her usual bitch self.

"Why're you standing there like that?" Nina asked.

"Thinking."

"You can ride home with him if you like." Nina stated stiffly.

"No… I don't think I can ride in that car."

"Well, suit yourself," Nina said, getting into her car. Anna got in on the passenger side. After a few minutes of riding in silence, Nina spoke.

"What were you doing that you were taken? How could you allow this to happen?"

"I didn't allow anything to happen. I had just infiltrated the prison yard. I was in the West Tower like Daddy told me. I had neutralized the guards and I was setting up for my shot. It was a few minutes before noon. They were just about to release Finnigan, but as I was watching and waiting, five men dressed in the guard uniforms ran up the stairs. I thought they were just more guards and that I could just take them down like I did the others, but these weren't prison guards. They were some sort of special ops force or something."

"Still they shouldn't have been able to overtake you. I would have died rather than be overtaken and made the bait in a trap for our father."

"Well, if I'd known it was a trap for our father, I suppose I would've, too. That being said, I think they were instructed not to hurt me, really."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because when the one gave me the black eye and split my lip, the squad leader or whatever told him that he needed to stop and to remember what the boss had said… something like that."

"Right. I still would have fought them."

"Of course you would have. With your arms pinned behind you and three guns pointed at you and another of them in your face hitting you and calling you a stupid cunt. You, of course, would've had the wherewithal to think, 'This may be a trap to get to my father' and then you would of fought your way out of the hold, killed all five men, killed the target, and gotten back in time for dinner."

"Aye. I would have."

"Well, we can't all be perfect," Anna replied sarcastically. She doubted Nina could have done any better under the circumstances.

"Clearly. What else can you tell me?" Nina asked.

"Well… they brought me to the cannery. They changed into different uniforms… black with body armor panels. There were two other guys waiting there. The one in charge was British… they were calling him 'Lancer'… I think it was a code name. He had a radio. Every so often he'd call to his boss on the radio, but the 'boss' never answered him directly. The go-between sounded American."

"Ok. Did you hear any of their other code names or anything else?"

"Daddy and I had code names."

"Which were?"

"Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlet."

"Like in Clue?"

"Yeah."

Nina sighed.

"Anything else?"

"One of the men was an African and one was some sort of Pacific Islander. The man who hit me was white and there was another white guy besides the British guy. The one who hit me sounded German. The other white guy didn't say anything."

"And what about the guys who were already there?"

"One of them was another American. He stood outside the office. The other one had red hair. He was tall. A Scotsman." Anna replied.

"Was there anything else?"

"Not really. I mean, when Daddy came with the money, the British man counted it and then called to the boss and that's when the command was given to release Miss Scarlet to Colonel Mustard. They didn't say anything about Aiden."

"And Dad was shot as you were leaving."

"Yes," Anna replied, her voice beginning to waver. "Daddy told me to go ahead with Aiden. I didn't know why then, but I think he knew something was going to happen. Aiden got me to the car and then Daddy was shot from the North. Someone in the hills across from the cannery- not from the roof. Then Aiden ran back and got him and put him in the back of the car with me. Aiden stayed so calm. He was wonderful."

"Aye… he's good under pressure. Anything else?"

"They tied me to a chair, but nobody else hit me anymore. When I had to pee, the British man took me. He waited outside of the stall."

"They untied you and took you to the restroom?"

"Yes… they called the boss and asked if they could. His go-between said it was alright as long as I was supervised."

"This is so bizarre… I just can't make heads or tails of it. How come you didn't try to fight again when they took you to the bathroom?"

"I was sore from just being untied, there were seven of them, and they were all armed. Do you really think I stood a chance of fighting my way out?" Anna demanded.

"No…you just… I can't believe you didn't try anything."

"There was no point."

"That's is what you'd say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm not surprised that you were taken and I'm not surprised that you didn't do anything to try to get out of the situation by yourself. You're a shit operative. You have no strategic thinking skills. You are a barely passable markswoman. If you were being alert and vigilant, you would have heard the soldiers coming up the stairs and you could have shot them as they appeared in the doorway of the booth of the tower. It would have been a good choke point- but I suppose that would have been asking too much, you paying attention."

"You fucking bitch! You wouldn't have heard them either. They didn't make a sound. These people, whoever they are, were so good. I doubt you would've heard anything either."

"Perhaps not. We'll never know. Anyway, whoever did this is going to pay. I'm going to get them. I hope you weren't involved."

"How can you say that to me?! How can you accuse me of that?! You know how much I love Daddy!"

"But then you knew how much more Dad loved me and you've always been so jealous."

"He did not. He never said that."

"He never had to, but we both knew it," Nina replied coldly.

"I would never hurt our father," Anna stated firmly, tears running down her face as Nina signaled to the man at the gate and then pulled the car into the driveway. Aiden had already arrived in their father's car and was standing outside of it waiting for them.

"Well, I sincerely hope so," Nina replied, getting out of the car and walking towards the house. Rather than following Nina, Aiden waited for her.

"You alright?" Aiden asked.

"As good as can be expected," Anna replied as she and Aiden walked toward the house together.

"I'm sorry that Nina did what she did and I'm sorry she's being so hard on you, but she's hurting, too. I wish you two would comfort one another, but I don't see that happening. I just want you to know that I'm here for you- like a brother," Aiden told her.

"Thanks. I really appreciate that," Anna replied.

Aiden gave her a tired, somber smile as they entered the house.

That night, Anna had taken three sleeping pills and went to bed. Before falling asleep, her thoughts drifted to Kazuya as they frequently did. She wished she had told him about the baby. Kazuya never would've gone to New York and gotten a hand job from Lee and Heihachi wouldn't have had any reason to have Kazuya attacked and injected with God knows what. And Kazuya wouldn't have killed him. She could have kept the peace between Kazuya and Heihachi if only she had told Kazuya the truth. If she had, she would almost certainly have become Mrs. Mishima. The baby would be nearly a year and a half old. Perhaps they would have been expecting a second child by now. They would live in Japan and she'd see Nina rarely and then send her Christmas cards with a little newsletter in them. Perhaps she could've convinced her father to convalesce in his home in Japan where she could've taken care of him while Nina ran around shooting people. Then maybe he would've grown to love her as much as he loved Nina and maybe more because she had given him a grandchild. Tears ran down her face. So much would've been different if only she had told Kazuya.

Three days later on the morning of her father's funeral, Anna stood before the mirror in her bedroom in her black dress and toyed with her mother's engagement ring. It was a beautiful ring. The band was white gold and middle setting contained a large diamond surrounded by two smaller sapphires. She could barely recall her mother's face. She hadn't been allowed any pictures. She wondered if her father had some hidden away. She looked at the ring. She remembered when he had told them that their mother had died. Daddy had woken both her and Nina up and brought them to his bedroom. She remembered sitting next to Nina on the end of the great big bed, their father had stood before them and explained that their mother was never coming home again. That something had happened to her when she was away at the Tournament and she had passed away and gone to Heaven. She remembered sobbing hard as her father held both of them on his lap. Nina had been crying, too, but not so hard. After a while, their father had then tucked them into the king sized bed and sat down in the chair across the room, apparently engrossed in his own thoughts.

Anna had never questioned or asked for elaboration on her father's explanation of what had happened to their mother. It was clear that their father didn't even like talking about their mother, so both she and Nina did their best not to bring her up. However, at one of the first tournaments that she and Nina had competed in, Anna had overheard a conversation that peaked her curiosity on the subject.

"The Williams girl looks just like her mum," someone behind her stated as Nina bent back her opponent's arm so far that the other girl cried out.

"Yes, she does," a second man agreed. The second man had a familiar voice. Anna quickly glanced over her shoulder. Heihachi Mishima, who must have been the second man, was talking to a British man with spiky blond hair seated on his left. Lee sat on Heihachi's right. He looked terribly bored.

"Shame about Callista. I always liked her. She was such a fun bird."

"Yes, she was."

"It was so surprising when she and Gustav were shot like that. Who would do such a thing? What a tragic waste."

"Yes," Heihachi agreed. She turned around again and waited to hear if he had more to say on the matter. It was then that she noticed Lee looking back at her. She watched as he swiftly elbowed Heihachi in the side and nodded towards her. Heihachi had said something to Lee too quietly for her to hear. Heihachi then turned back to the other man.

"I'm looking forward to the fight between our boys though, I could just about wring Kazuya's neck right about now. A fight in less than two hours and he's gone for a cheeseburger."

"Well, Jesse no better, out trying to pick up American girls."

"These Tournaments in America bring out the worst in people," Heihachi commented.

Anna had turned around, disappointed. She wondered if Heihachi would have said more if Lee hadn't alerted him to her presence.

Later that night after dinner at a barbeque joint to celebrate Nina and Kazuya's victories in their respective divisions, Anna had sat at the table in the hotel suite and thought about what she had overheard earlier that day. Her thoughts were interrupted when something soft hit her in the back of the head.

"Hey… put on your bathing suit. We're going to the pool. Dad said we could as long as we both went," Nina declared. She was already wearing her purple one piece. Anna glanced at the floor and saw her red bathing suit. She supposed that was what had hit her in the head.

"Nina… do you ever wonder about Mum."

"No. She's dead. Why would I wonder about her," Nina replied, standing in front of the mirror and examining herself.

"Yours aren't as big as mine," Anna commented with a smirk.

"I wasn't even looking at that," Nina snapped. "Now hurry."

Anna walked over to the window. She saw that Lee was sitting on one of the chairs, reading what appeared to be a textbook by the overhead light while Kazuya swam in the pool.

"You know, Lee doesn't care about you. He barely knows you're alive," Anna declared.

"That's not why I want to go down there," Nina lied.

"Well, we've got a nicer pool than that at home."

"Anna, please."

"Fine… but then after that, I want to talk to you seriously, ok?" Anna asked.

"Yeah," Nina had agreed eagerly.

After an hour and a half, the pool had closed and the boys had walked them back to the suite.

"Goodnight, Lee. Maybe we'll see you at breakfast?" Nina asked hopefully.

"Maybe. If not, congratulations again and we'll see you again pretty soon," Lee replied noncommittally, the Physics book Nina had kept him from reading with her incessant chatter tucked under his arm.

Anna rolled her eyes and Kazuya laughed.

"Goodnight, Williams girls. Good work today at the Tournament. Just for future reference, though, Killer, you still win even if you don't almost break your opponent in half," Kazuya teased Nina, causing her blush. "And you," he turned to Anna, "you almost had it, but that Swedish girl was gianormous! She probably could've taken me!"

Anna smiled gratefully, feeling a little bit better about her loss.

With that the girls reentered the suite. Richard was on the phone, speaking to somebody in French. He smiled and waved to the girls as they passed through. Both girls had smiled back before heading into the other bedroom and closing the door.

"Now my turn," Anna declared, standing in front of Nina as she began to change out of her swimsuit and into her pajamas.

"Your turn for what? Oh… right. Mum. What?" Nina asked.

"Today while you were competing, I heard Heihachi talking to another man about our Mum. The other guy said you look like her."

"So what? I know I do. Dad has said that."

"Yeah, I know. But then, he also said Mum had been shot- along with somebody named Gustav. Did you know about that?" Anna asked.

"No. Dad said that Mum died. At a tournament. I guess I always assumed that something had happened during a fight." Nina replied.

"I know… I did, too, but I guess that's not what happened," Anna stated.

"Well… we should ask Dad about what you heard."

"I'm not sure asking Daddy is a good idea," Anna replied.

"Why not?" Nina asked.

"I don't know… I just feel like maybe if he's wanted us to know, he would've told us," Anna replied.

"That's nonsense," Nina stated, getting up and barging into the other room. "Dad, are you off the phone?"

"Aye. Did you enjoy your swim? Lee's ears still attached to his head or did you succeed in your aim to talk them off?" their father teased.

"Dad," Nina groaned.

"Sorry. Anyways, yes, I'm off the phone. Why? Do you need change for the vending machine?"

"Well… no, but yes, please," Nina replied.

Anna heard her father laugh.

"Anna, want a root beer?" Nina asked, peeking around the door.

"No, thanks," Anna replied, wondering how Nina could abandon such an important topic in favor of a trip to the vending machine. Still in her swimsuit with the white hotel towel with the green stripe around her waist, Anna ventured into her father's room.

"Daddy," Anna began with some trepidation.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Daddy, earlier today I heard a couple of people talking about Mum."

"Oh? What did they say?"

"Well, they said Nina looked like Mum."

"Aye, she does," her father confirmed.

"And then they said how it was too bad that Mum was shot with a man called Gustav… Daddy, is that true?" Anna asked, heart beating in her ears.

Her father frowned and looked uncomfortable.

"Daddy?"

"Let's wait till Nina comes back."

Anna nodded.

"Go get into your PJs, Princess."

Anna nodded again, went to her room, and changed. When she returned to her father's room, Nina was already sitting in a chair eating a Twix bar and drinking a Coke.

"Alright… I've been waiting for some time for the right time to tell you about what happened to your mother. I suppose now is as good a time as any. Your mother didn't die in a tournament. She was participating in a tournament when she was killed, but she didn't die in a tournament. I know from what I told you when you were young that's what you thought. I'm sorry I mislead you. In actuality, your mother was shot. Along with another man, Gustav Eriksson. Your mother was having an affair with Eriksson. On top of that, she was a bad mother and just a terrible person… so I killed her." Richard explained.

Anna gaped at her father, unable to speak. Nina calmly sipped her Coke.

"So, now I've been honest with you. I did it for the two of you as much as I did it for myself."

For a moment, they all sat in silence and looked at one another.

"Well, say something," Richard demanded, looking from Nina to Anna.

"Oh, Dad," Nina replied, getting up and hugging their father. Richard seemed relieved as he hugged Nina back.

Anna continued to just stare. How could Nina rush over to him and give him a hug? How could either of them ever trust him again? He just admitted that he had killed their mother. What happened if he ever decided that he'd had enough of one or both of them? What if she or Nina displeased him in some way? Was murder a possible response?

"Princess."

"Daddy, how could you?"

"Princess, please try to understand."

Anna looked at her father and then at Nina. Both of them were looking at her, seemingly waiting for her to forgive her father. It seemed that she didn't have any choice but to discard her disgust and fear and accept that what her father had done was okay. After all, if she didn't, what might happen to her?

"I do, Daddy," Anna lied in a soft voice. She walked forward and hugged her father as she was expected to do. From that moment on, she had tried to tell herself that what her father had done was right and that her mother had deserved what she had gotten. She had almost convinced herself to believe it. Almost. Perhaps that was part of the reason that their father had loved Nina more. Perhaps he had sensed that Anna had been truly horrified when she learned the truth about her mother's death.

Anna sighed as she put down the ring and picked up the diamond in platinum bracelet that Kazuya had given her right after he had come back from New York. As she put it on as she wondered if she would see him at the funeral.

After a silent ride to the funeral home, Anna stood with Aiden and Nina beside the closed coffin. The closed coffin reminded her of Heihachi's funeral, only she was sure that her father was actually in the coffin. After viewing their father's marred face, Nina asked the undertaker to close the coffin. Anna hadn't protested. She was actually quite relieved. As people started filing in to pay their respects, Aiden took the lead in speaking to the mourners. This was also a relief. Mostly she just had to nod at people, but occasionally someone would embrace her. When people attempted to embrace Nina, she swiftly stuck out her hand and converted the gesture into a handshake. It figured that Nina would even have to be difficult at a time like this. Then finally, _he_ walked in. Anna's heart skipped a beat as he approached. There was nothing she wanted more than to run to him and have him hold her and tell her that he still loved her, but as she glowered at Lee she knew it could never be. Lee stared back at her briefly before shifting his gaze to the floor.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Lee murmured, hugging Anna briefly and awkwardly. Anna hugged back, relieved that Lee seemed as eager to move on to Aiden as she for him to do so. As Lee embraced Aiden, Kazuya stood face to face with her.

"I'm very sorry about your father. He was a great man," Kazuya declared somberly, moving forward to embrace her. She was disappointed. Kazuya no longer gave his patented bone crushing hugs and she missed them so much.

"Thank you, Sweetie. I've missed you," Anna whispered.

"Yeah… I've been thinking a lot about you lately. I want to talk later." Kazuya whispered back.

"I'd like that," Anna whispered.

With that, Kazuya gave her a smile and shook hands with Aiden as Nina began to sob as Lee held her in his arms. Kazuya smiled wider at Aiden's apparent dismay. Anna frowned and threaded her arm through Aiden's and shot Kazuya a look.

"Lee, why don't you take Nina to her seat?" Kazuya asked.

Lee looked at Aiden for approval and Aiden gave a curt nod.

"Are you ready to start, Sweetie?" Anna asked Aiden.

"Yeah… if you think everybody's here and you're ready. I- you're doing such a good job. Your father would be proud," Aiden told her.

Anna swallowed a lump in her throat and smiled, tears springing to her eyes.

"Thank you. That means a lot."

Aiden smiled back as Anna walked to her seat. She sat down next to her sister and Kazuya sat at her right side. As Nina continued to cry on Lee's shoulder, Kazuya gently took her hand in his. Once Nina had composed herself enough to stop sobbing, Aiden began the eulogy. Anna sat quietly, tears flowing down her face as Aiden spoke about what a unique, kind, and courageous man her father had been and how he had quickly become like a second father to him. He spoke of his love of country, unparalleled by anything other than his love of his girls. As Aiden spoke of how much her father had loved both her and her sister, she felt Nina grab her left hand and squeeze it. Anna smiled and squeezed her sister's hand back. Soon after, Aiden finished his eulogy and Father Callahan began the prayers. Aiden sat down next to Kazuya and stared straight ahead. Anna felt sorry for him.

Following the conclusion of the service, they drove in procession to the cemetery. Aiden drove silently as Nina stared out the window. Anna stared at her feet and wondered if Nina had gone out of her mind, carrying on like that when Lee arrived. She wondered what Kazuya wanted to talk about. She looked at the back of Aiden's head and hoped that Nina wasn't stupid enough to throw him away over Lee.

When they arrived at the cemetery, the three of them walked to the gravesite. The stone was small and unostentatious. It was not befitting of his wealth or importance, but evidently it had been all he wanted. It was not unlike the grave to his right where Grandma Molly and their grandfather were buried. There was a space to his left- perhaps it had once been intended for their mother? Anna didn't know. She didn't know if her mother was buried and if so where. She had never worked up the courage to ask. She supposed now that she would never know.

After Richard's IRA cohorts bore his coffin to the grave and Father Callahan led the final prayer, Nina threw the first handful of dirt on the coffin. Anna threw the second. And then it was over. The crowd soon dissipated, but Anna spied Kazuya and Lee standing together a little ways away by a tall monument featuring a Celtic cross.

"Why don't you come back to the house for lunch?" Anna proposed, calling to Kazuya and Lee.

"Thanks. We'll see you there," Kazuya called back. Lee looked pouty and sullen, but that wasn't unusual.

"Anna, do you really think that having them over is a good idea? It's my understanding Kazuya is quite dangerous. Your father said so," Aiden pointed out quietly.

"Aye… but I miss Lee and if Kazuya tries anything, I'll personally put a bullet between his eyes," Nina declared as they walked back to the car.

Anna sincerely hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

As it turned out, Nina had no need to shoot Kazuya in the head. Though not his old self, he appeared to be on the best behavior that he was now capable of. He was even civil towards Aiden. The strangest thing that Anna had noticed about Kazuya was that he and Lee appeared to be ignoring each other. Though neither of them had stated outright that they were at odds with one another, the longer Anna watched the more apparent it seemed. While Kazuya talked about the success of the Zaibatsu and new projects on the horizon, Lee scratched his left bicep and ran his hand through his hair repeatedly.

"You seem agitated. Are you alright?" Nina asked

"Nicotine patch," Lee replied.

"Oh… well. Good."

Lee shot her a dirty look in response.

"I couldn't stand the smell anymore," Kazuya stated bluntly.

Lee shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"And besides. It's what's best for you," Kazuya told Lee.

Lee now turned his scornful glare on Kazuya, but Kazuya merely smiled. Lee then whispered something to Nina and Kazuya just shrugged and turned to Anna.

"If he's going to be juvenile about it, that's fine. Nobody expected anything different."

Aiden shot Kazuya a disapproving glance. Kazuya just shrugged again.

"Anna, I think perhaps it would be nice to take a walk in the garden," Kazuya declared, standing.

"Okay" Anna replied, standing up. She had no idea what to expect, but she could feel the weight of the disapproving stares of everyone else in the room as she got up to join him. Well… screw them. They didn't understand what she'd been through.

They walked through the house silently and then emerged into the garden. It was a warm, bright and beautiful early summer's day. She couldn't believe that they had buried her father that morning.

"I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. Not just about your father, but about everything. I don't know how much you know about my condition, but I'm not the man you dated. He's gone. Permanently. But that's no excuse for the way I treated you, so again I'm sorry."

Anna looked over at him, surprised by what he was saying. She wondered if he meant it or if it was some kind of ploy.

"Anyway, Lee is just… he's not really what I was looking for. He's too weak. A disappointment."

Anna cocked her head. She didn't understand what that had to do with anything. Had Kazuya dumped Lee? It would explain their strange behavior.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Sweetie, but what's that got to do with me?" Anna asked.

"Maybe if you still had feelings for me, when the time is right, you'd consider returning to Japan," Kazuya replied.

"Are you and Lee through?"

"He's moving out as soon as we get back. It's over."

"Will he keep working for you?"

"Yes. He'll stay on at the Zaibatsu. He's too much of an asset to let go."

Anna nodded and then frowned. She wondered what had happened between them.

"What?"

"Well… then why does he have to quit smoking if you two are done?"

"Because it's still a disgusting smell… I can smell the chlorine from the pool," Kazuya stated, pointing towards where the pool was located at the other side of the property. "I can smell that there's a deer in those bushes over there… and your perfume is divine, but your sister's not wearing any and Aiden uses the green Speedstick. What this has done to me is crazy."

"What else?" Anna asked, watching the previously hidden deer move from the bushes.

"All my senses are heightened. I'm faster. Stronger. I'm not the man I was. Make no mistake."

Anna nodded once.

"It's a lot to think about… I just wish none of this had ever happened," Anna said.

"Well, that's not worth thinking about. It did. The question now is do you accept my apology?"

"Yes… but what do you want with me?" Anna asked.

"I want to know if you still have feelings for me… if you'd like to resume our relationship when the time is right."

"When would the time be right?" Anna asked, confused. She thought this was exactly what she wanted, but when it was discussed like a business proposition rather than a reconciliation she wasn't so sure that she was interested.

"In a few months… I'd let you know."

"Why in a few months? Why not now?"

"I have a lot on my plate right now. It wouldn't be fair to you."

Anna frowned. It didn't seem like a good answer. It didn't really make sense.

"There are some really big things going on at the Zaibatsu and we're about to begin preparations for the Second King of the Iron Fist Tournament," Kazuya explained.

"A Second King of the Iron Fist Tournament?" Anna asked incredulously.

"Yeah… of course. It's a great chance to test the Jacks… VEST 2.0 and some other things," Kazuya replied.

"I just never would have thought that-"

"Yes, but in reality it makes a lot of sense, given the ongoing innovation of the Zaibatsu. It's a great platform for exhibition of our technological advances."

"Are you going to compete?"

"Yes."

"Who is their right mind is going to compete against you after the last Tournament?" Anna asked.

"That's not fair. It's my understanding that you didn't even see the majority of the final match. What happened was an accident, Anna," Kazuya stated firmly.

Anna only nodded again.

"So, here's my proposal. Come for the Tournament and then stay on. Either at your father's house there-"

"It's mine," Anna interrupted woodenly. The house in Ireland was Nina's and the house in Japan was hers. They were to share the villa in Switzerland.

"Well, then you can live at your house or you could come live in the Compound. Whatever you want to do."

Anna nodded again.

"I need some time to think this over, Kazuya," Anna stated.

"Of course. I understand."

"When is the Tournament?"

"October."

Anna nodded. Just like the first Tournament.

"Alright. I'll let you know before the Tournament."

"Fair enough. You and your sister will be competing?"

"I'll discuss it with Nina, but I can't imagine her turning it down. Lee will be there."

Kazuya laughed a quiet, mechanical laugh. She missed his old infectious chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad we had this conversation," Kazuya declared, as they began to walk back towards the house.

"I am, too," Anna replied. As they stood on the back deck of the house. Kazuya leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Anna kissed back, surprised at how little she felt. It was disappointing.

"I'm sorry… what I meant was this," Kazuya said, grabbing her hard and kissing her again. Anna threw her arms around his neck and thrust her tongue in his mouth as he held her tightly. This was more like it. After a few more moments, Kazuya broke away and just looked at her.

"Well?"

"I'll let you know," Anna replied firmly.

"Hopefully you'll take that into consideration."

"I will," Anna replied with a smile, opening the back door. She had made up her mind. She just wondered how her sister would take it.


	16. October 1988, Part I

October 1988, Part I

Lee Chaolan sat in the chair across from Kazuya Mishima's desk. He checked the new watch he had bought himself the previous month. Almost 7:00 PM on a Friday night. This was getting ridiculous. Since the previous week when an intelligence report stating that Interpol was planning to infiltrate the Second King of Iron Fist Tournament, Kazuya had been acting even less sane than usual. Though one of Kazuya's investigators had discovered that undercover Interpol agents were going to be participating in the Tournament, he had failed as yet to ascertain the identity of the agents. Lee wished he could go back in time, steal the report off of Kazuya's desk, and throw it through the shredder. Though it had only been a week since he had found out, Kazuya had literally made him sit there and go through the roster with him upwards of a hundred times. They discussed known entities versus the competitors they had never met. Lee had attempted to be patient and act like he cared, but when Kazuya suggested the Paul Phoenix could secretly be an Interpol Agent, Lee had burst out laughing.

"What?"'

"Well, I think to do that job, you'd have to be smart," Lee replied.

"Well, maybe that's part of his cover."

"Look. There are two options here. The first is that Paul Phoenix is the most brilliant secret agent who's ever lived. The second is that he's a bucket-headed moron. I'm inclined to go with the latter explanation," Lee stated.

"Well, when you put it like that, sure. But-"

"Kazuya… I think you're overthinking this. I think that when the agents show up, you'll know who they are," Lee said.

"Maybe, but-"

"Kazuya. It's seven o'clock on a Friday. It's been a long week already. I'm tired and I want to go home," Lee declared, getting up to leave Kazuya's office.

"Well, what if I took you to dinner? Then we could-"

"I can't talk about this anymore. We can talk again on Monday if you'd like, but till then, if it's something about the damn tournament roster, leave me alone."

"Technically, you're always at my disposal," Kazuya stated icily.

"Technically, sure," Lee replied flippantly, getting up from the chair across from Kazuya's desk and heading towards the door. "Good luck attempting to put that into practice."

"I can put it into practice anytime I want."

"Alright. Should I hold my breath?"

"Fuck off."

"And you have a nice weekend, too, Mr. Mishima," Lee responded with a smile. What was he going to do to him? Kill him like he had killed Richard Williams? It would be a mercy killing at this point. Kazuya could do his worst. Except Lee knew he wasn't going to. For some reason, Kazuya still believed he was valuable. Maybe he was at that. He had recently received some offers from CEOs who had heard that Kazuya had lost his mind. Lee laughed off the rumors and declined the offers, wishing with every fiber of his being that he could jump ship. He wished he had listened to Kazuya in the first place when he written him that letter and instructed him to go away and stay away.

Lee walked out of the elevator and past where the Koi pond had been. The lobby was deserted. He glanced up through the skylight. Wispy clouds floated past the moon. Fucking waning gibbous. He needed a drink. Lee walked out into the cool night air. He had forgotten his jacket in his own office but damned if he was going back in to get it. He'd rather freeze. After a chilly walk to his parking spot, Lee reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys and got into his violet Mustang and started the car. It had been since June, since everything had blown up, that he'd had a cigarette and he was still at a loss without them. He supposed that was proof that he really did fear Kazuya. If he didn't, he'd go to the gas station and buy a pack on the way home, but he wasn't going to do that.

Though things had never been good between them and he had feared Kazuya at least since Heihachi's death, maybe before, Lee Chaolan had grown accustomed to his life with Kazuya Mishima. Mostly their relationship consisted of arguing, eating, air hockey, training, and sex. Thinking of what he had and thrown away with Heihachi made him actually feel a little sick. There was no comparison. So he tried not think about it. But every day since Heihachi's funeral had been its own individual battle and Lee undoubtedly had the losing record.

Even before things had come to a head in June, he and Kazuya had fought constantly. They fought most frequently about the management of the Zaibatsu, Kazuya's treatment of others, and Lee's non-compliance. After all the promises Kazuya had made to the public and the Japanese government alike, he made no efforts to usher in the changes he had talked about. Medical technologies remained a small if diminishing part of the agenda at the Zaibatsu. Jack Robots triumphed over the exciting research that Dr. Bosconovitch could have been conducting in cryogenics. The laboratory tasked with working on the robotic limbs had been repurposed to develop robotic attachments for some sort of assault vehicle Kazuya had dreamed up for the Tekken Force, which looked less like a security detail and more like an army every day. Not to mention the continuation of the nuclear program that Kazuya had pledged to dismantle.

Additionally, when employees had problems developing products and delivering demonstrations in the four to six week time frame that Kazuya typically required, Kazuya railed at them for several minutes at a time or fired them on the spot depending on his mood. Part of Lee's non-compliance stemmed from his reluctance to sit back and watch that happen. Lee had saved so many jobs by acting as a lightning rod for Kazuya's harsh criticism and irrational anger. Kazuya hated discussions about realistic time tables and expectations. Such conversations typically degenerated into insulting remarks about Lee's habit of coddling people and encouraging laziness with his poor attitude and low expectations. Lee had learned almost immediately to shrug it off and be Kazuya's punching bag for the good of the Zaibatsu.

However, it had been incredibly tiresome to face such adversity on a daily basis at work and then come home to a nearly identical situation. All of the staff that Lee had hired to replace the people that Kazuya had unceremoniously fired were afraid of Kazuya. Lee couldn't blame them. One girl had been fired for folding Kazuya's shirts improperly in a suitcase she had packed. A chef had been let go because he had overcooked a steak. Lee had inadvertently gotten the gardener fired by making an offhand comment that the rose bushes had been over-pruned. And it was all the worse knowing that Kazuya no longer seemed at such a loss to understand facial expressions or feelings- knowing that he could be polite or even charming when he wanted something and absolutely ruthless the rest of the time.

Then one day in June, Kazuya had swept into Lee's office and sat down across from his desk.

"I'm going away on business for a few days… maybe a week. I don't know. You need to take care of things- I mean really. You can't be so lackadaisical when I'm not here to run things," Kazuya told him.

"I'll do my best not to run the place into the ground, but I can't promise anything," Lee retorted, looking up from the recommendations he had been drafting for the project team that had been charged with updating VEST. It hurt to see something he had personally worked so hard on in the hands of less capable engineers, but there was nothing he could do but audit and make recommendations based on what he saw.

"Well, wonderful. If you spend all of your time on VEST and your other little pet projects, it's sure to be a banner week," Kazuya replied sarcastically.

"You're the one who asked for an updated version of VEST to display at the Tournament. None of those people you've hired to do that can do what I do. So if you want what you said you wanted ready by when you said you wanted it, you would understand that my recommendations are vital to the success of this project," Lee stated icily. He hated even talking about this second tournament that Kazuya was planning. It was an absolutely horrible idea.

"Granted, but I don't want to come back and see that the Jacks and the things that I need accomplished have taken a backseat to Bosconovitch's frozen vegetables. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"Wonderful. And leave the Devil Gene people alone for a week, won't you? They're tired of your incessant whining and quite frankly so am I. I have control over this thing now. Things are fine."

Lee merely sighed. There was no sense in arguing with him. It was evident that he truly believed that everything was fine and that he had everything well in hand.

"Well, unless there's anything else," Kazuya began, getting up from the chair.

"You're leaving now?" Lee asked incredulously.

"Yes. I have important business to attend to. Wheels have been set in motion and this is something that I need to see to personally."

"Kazuya, what is this about? Where are you going?" Lee asked. He suddenly had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach though he wasn't exactly sure why.

"We'll talk about it when I get back," Kazuya replied pointedly, quickly reaching forward and underneath the center desk drawer and flipping off the surveillance cameras.

Lee took a deep breath. His heart was beating faster as Kazuya leaned across the desk grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head and kissed him

"Behave while I'm gone."

Lee only nodded. Kazuya kissed him hard again and then smiled, clearly pleased with his continuing ability to subdue him with expressions of physical affection. Lee hated himself for being so susceptible, but he couldn't help himself.

"Kazuya, before you leave-"

"There isn't time for that. The jet is waiting."

"It's your jet."

"Fine, but it has to be quick," Kazuya replied, beginning to unbutton his pants. Lee nodded and made haste. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Lee thought until he ceased to think. When thought resumed, Lee again thought of what a fool he was, but he couldn't help himself. And Kazuya knew it.

"I'll be back in a week tops," Kazuya reiterated, straightening his tie.

Lee pouted as he buttoned his shirt.

"What?"

"Well, how soon could you be back?"

"I suppose four days would be possible if everything goes according to plan," Kazuya replied cryptically.

"Can you tell me anything about the plan?" Lee asked, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt.

"No. We'll talk about it when I get back," Kazuya replied.

"Well,-"

"I don't have time for this and I'm not changing my mind," Kazuya interrupted. He walked over and gave Lee a rough kiss on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye. Will I be hearing from you?"

"No… just take care of things here and don't worry about what I'm doing," Kazuya replied.

Lee nodded and watched Kazuya leave his office. He sighed, walked over the crystal decanter and poured himself a snifter of brandy. He glanced at the watch Kazuya had given him. 2:20. It was a little early, but what the Hell? He was in charge, after all. After his drink, he straightened up his desk and then went outside to smoke a cigarette. When he returned to his office, he resumed his work on his memo for the VEST team. He took phone calls. He began to peruse the latest report given to him by lab that had been tasked to reverse the effects of the Devil Gene. He rolled his eyes, shook his head, spun his chair around, and ran the papers through the shredder. It was the exact same report he had been given last week. Did they think he didn't read them? Lee scowled. He had a good mind to go down there, but Kazuya had said not to… well, he had asked him not to. And he was in charge until Kazuya returned, so he stood up and proceeded down to the twentieth floor. He used his key card to enter and was perturbed to find no one in the front room of the lab. Lee walked to the door of a second room and found a numeric key pad and smirked. Examining the key pad briefly, Lee rode the elevator back up to his office. Checking that the surveillance camera switch was still in the off position, Lee removed a small silver key from the corner of his desk blotter and walked over to the drawers that lined the right side of the room. He used the key to open the middle bottom drawer and retrieved the decryption device that looked like it would work on the door to the even more secretive lab inside the no longer secret lab. Lee locked the drawer again, put the device in his satchel, returned the key to its hiding place, and then left his office again.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Chaolan?" Ayame asked, looking up from her work. It probably did seem strange he was leaving his office for the third time is less than an hour.

"No thanks. Just forgot something," Lee replied with a friendly smile, heading back towards the elevator and returning to the twentieth floor. After crossing the large, empty laboratory, Lee took the decryption device out of his bag and plugged it into the keypad. Lee smiled as the device he had built as a project for graduate school easily opened the door to the new secret lab. Putting the decryption device back in his bag, Lee opened the door. He recognized the team of scientists allegedly responsible for attempting to reverse the Devil Gene. Three were standing by a lab bench with a microscope in front of them while the other seven stood with their backs to him, apparently observing something in the back of the room.

"Can we help you with something, Mr. Chaolan?" project manager Dr. Hayashi asked coolly from his place behind the lab bench, giving Lee a look that indicated that he didn't belong there.

"Yes. Did you mean to send me a duplicate report this week? Because the report for this week appears to be the same as the one I received last week."

"We sent you the most current report that we had. Mr. Mishima's involvement with other projects has rendered it more difficult to continue our work in that area."

"You've been reassigned?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Well, what are you doing now?"

"Mr. Mishima has us working on a special assignment."

"Involving?" Lee asked.

"That's classified."

"What's going on back there?" Lee asked, nodding towards the back of the room.

"Testing."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No, but I suppose that's immaterial at this juncture."

Lee nodded. Fuck. If Kazuya were there to explain what was going on, he had the feeling the explanation would begin with the word 'Listen.' When Lee heard a non-human shriek coming from the back of the room, he knew the story would begin with the word 'Listen.' Without saying another word, Lee proceeded to the back of the room. A kangaroo fighting a… what looked like a dinosaur.

"Is this what it looks like?" Lee asked, observing what upon closer inspection appeared to be a kangaroo boxing what still appeared to be a dinosaur.

"Well, that depends on what it looks like," a young technician with glasses replied.

"It looks like a kangaroo fighting a fucking dinosaur," Lee answered.

"Pretty much then, yeah," the young man replied.

Lee nodded.

"Where'd the dinosaur come from?" Lee asked. He hated that he found this intriguing. He wished he could just be disgusted and walk away, but his inquiring nature made him stand there and ask questions.

"Well, one day, Mr. Mishima came in and said he had an idea," Dr. Hayashi began to explain.

"No… he said 'vision,'" the young tech with glasses interjected.

"Same thing," Dr. Hayashi snapped.

"No," Lee replied. Idea sounded saner than vision in this context and he wanted to hear what was really said and what had actually happened. He turned to the young man with glasses. "Kenji Minami, is it?"

"Yes, Sir. Mr. Mishima came in one day and said he had a vision. Dr. Hayashi asked him what that vision was and his answer was 'Dinosaurs.' More specifically, intelligent attack dinosaurs. When Dr. H. explained that was out of the realm of possibility. Mr. Mishima, called in Dr. A. and when Dr. A. said perhaps there was a way, Mr. Mishima said they needed to call in Dr. B., so then-"

"Are these code names or-"

"No. I'm Dr. H, Dr. Abel is Dr. A and Dr. Bosconovitch is Dr. B," Dr. Hayashi explained impatiently.

"So, then Dr. Bosconovitch did what?" Lee asked Kenji, watching the kangaroo duck a hit from the dinosaur.

"Attaboy, Roger," one of the scientists cheered.

"Excuse me. The kangaroo's name is Roger?"

"Yeah. And the dinosaur is Alex. Your brother named them. These two are the prototypes. So, your brother asked Dr. B if he could make a dinosaur and he said no, but then the next day he started coming down and working on this project for a few hours a day and then there was an egg and then there was a dinosaur," Kenji explained. Dr. Hayashi glared at him.

"Was the dinosaur first or the kangaroo?" Lee asked.

"Kangaroo. But… he was working on both projects simultaneously."

"And the Devil Gene- how are things going with _that _project?" Lee asked.

Kenji looked at Dr. Hayashi.

"Currently on hold. Mr. Mishima's orders," Dr. Hayashi replied.

"So, the report from last week is the latest information?"

"Yes," Dr. Hayashi replied.

"Fine. If there's any other information regarding the Devil Gene project, I want it on my desk tomorrow morning no later than 10AM."

"There is no additional information. You've been briefed right along-"

"I want additional information," Lee snarled and then continued, "You will compile a report discussing the progression of the Devil Gene and you will hypothesize about the effects of the Devil Gene over time. I want graphs, charts, and detailed analysis. I want it on my desk at 10AM tomorrow. Are there any questions?"

"None whatsoever, Mr. Chaolan. Mr. Mishima gave us the impression that this week would be something of a reprieve from your demands," Dr. Hayashi commented.

"And then he put me in charge," Lee replied, bristling at Hayashi's audacity.

"You'll get your report, Mr. Chaolan."

"Excellent," Lee replied, turning around to walk out. He shook his head. 'Dinosaurs' wasn't a vision; it was the stupidest of whims and the creation thereof more than likely involved some serious ethical breaches. Lee took the elevator back up to his office. He poured himself another snifter of brandy. Fucking dinosaurs… Lee thought as he took his satchel off his shoulder. He sighed and ran his left hand through his silver hair. Tomorrow he supposed he'd ask Dr. Bosconovitch how he had managed to successfully create a dinosaur to appease to Kazuya. As he sipped his brandy, he took his calendar out and crossed out the two hour block he had allocated for the VEST team from 10AM to noon the next day. He would need that time to go over Hayashi's report and talk to Dr. Bosconovitch about pugilistic kangaroos and dinosaurs. Lee sighed again, belted down the rest of his cognac, put away his decryption device under lock and key, and went down to the thirty-seventh floor to put in the time he had cancelled on the following day. Lee and the VEST team put in an hour and forty-five minutes beyond the two hours he had scheduled and the results were promising. Additionally, he enjoyed the work. He missed it. Being Vice President almost sucked as much as being in Human Resources.

The following morning, Lee read through Hayashi's report… it didn't say anything new. It literally looked like he had reprinted every other report he had ever given him and then attached a section on 'The Likely Progression of the Devil Gene,' in which Dr. Hayashi made vague and non-committal statements about what would happen to 'the subject' over time. Lee shook his head. He was done with this. He clapped the binder closed, picked it up, and headed for the elevator.

"Mr. Chaolan, you have some messages-"

"I'll deal with them when I get back," Lee stated.

Ayame nodded as Lee left his anteroom and continued to the elevator which he took down to Dr. Bosconovitch's lab. It was time to get some answers, Lee thought resolutely. He had prepared himself to rant and rail at the old, Russian scientist, but when he got to the lab, Dr. Bosconovitch greeted him a warm smile.

"Hello, Lee," Dr. Bosconovitch declared.

"Hi," Lee replied. Dammit, why'd he have to be so grandfatherly? With his disheveled white hair, glasses, and the green cardigan, there was no way he could yell at him.

"Here to audit me?" Dr. Bosconovitch asked good-naturedly.

"No," Lee replied glumly, walking up to the Jack that Dr. Bosconovitch had been observing when he came in.

"They're ready for the hand to hand combat testing phase whenever Kazuya wants to do that."

Lee nodded.

"He looks good."

"Thank you."

"Any progress in your work?" Lee asked.

"None to speak of. There hasn't been any time," Dr. Bosconovitch replied.

"Oh?" Lee asked. He wondered what Dr. Bosconovitch would tell him without being prompted.

"Yes… between the Jacks and those fools working on the vehicle limbs and those morons creating fighting animals, I've had almost no time for my own work. My girl is holding steady," Dr. Bosconovitch replied.

"Well… good about Alisa. What about these fighting animals?" Lee asked.

"Let's go into my office… soon people will be come back from lunch and the carwash-"

"The carwash?"

"Da. We're running a Jack through the carwash… he got dirty during a previous test and it created the opportunity for another test."

Lee smiled as he followed Dr. Bosconovitch to his office. Dr. Bosconovitch sat down behind his desk and opened the large bottom right drawer and took out a bottle of Smirnoff and two glasses.

"Would you like a drink?"

Lee thought a moment. He knew he shouldn't, but perhaps he'd better. He nodded.

"Alright," Dr. Bosconovitch replied, pouring a generous amount of vodka in each of the glasses.

"Za Vas," Dr. Bosconovitch declared lifting his glass slightly and taking a large sip. Lee followed suit.

"So… I thought you might come to see me today. The boys on the twentieth floor were a little shook up by your visit yesterday."

Lee shrugged.

"Yes. Well, they don't want Mr. Mishima to find out. They are afraid the blame would be on them. Apparently Kazuya recently asked them if that door's security system needed replacing and Dr. Hayashi told him it didn't. Very secure. Perhaps against the general public, but maybe not against brilliant wunderkind creator of VEST."

Lee smiled and shrugged again.

"It was just a project from grad school."

"All the more impressive," Dr. Bosconovitch replied with a smile.

"About the twentieth floor," Lee began.

Dr. Bosconovitch nodded.

"Specifically about the boxing kangaroo and dinosaur."

"The latter of which also boxes," Dr. Bosconovitch pointed out, taking another sip of his vodka.

"Yes… I saw."

"Though the kangaroo does better."

"I didn't watch long enough to know."

"Well, take my word for it."

"I will…Dr. Hayashi said that they called you in to create dinosaur."

"They did."

"What's the kangaroo for?"

"Well, the dinosaur isn't really a dinosaur per say. It's an illusion- a hybrid. Part kangaroo, part human, part Komodo dragon. No avian species at all, ironically."

"So the kangaroo is a hybrid as well? A necessary step to creating the pseudo-dinosaur?"

"Exactly."

"Why do they need to box?"

"That, I don't know. I don't know if they're supposed to be a weapon or entertainment or what. Just the product of the imagination of a man losing his sanity. I originally refused for ethical reasons, but he threatened my Alisa, so I gave in. One of these times, I'm afraid I'll have to stand my ground and then it will be over," Dr. Bosconovitch stated morosely.

Lee frowned. He couldn't disagree with Dr. Bosconovitch's assessment of the situation.

"But then he can't be stopped. Nothing can stop the virus that's doing this to him. Surely you know that by now."

Lee's heart leapt to his throat as Dr. Bosconovitch calmly sipped his vodka.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps accepting this news is hard for you. Perhaps you have been choosing to fight it- not unlike myself and the death sentence the doctors gave my Alisa."

"I guess I thought that something could still be done," Lee confessed in a quiet voice. He felt stupid.

"It's hard to be objective in matters like these, but you've seen the charts. I'm sure you've observed changes. He's becoming an animal- well, a beast. It's strange. It's a tailor-made virus apparently designed to rid the host of humanity while heightening their senses and creating a faster, stronger individual."

"Humanity is-"

"An intangible, I know. But what the virus is doing to his brain is selectively destroying the centers that make him capable of kindness, compassion, love- in short, humanity. I understand that prior to all this, he used to be a wonderful man. I know this must be hard for you," Dr. Bosconovitch stated sympathetically.

Lee nodded.

"But this is important to you. We'll do what we can. Even if those boys he hired for the task just stand around betting on kangaroo versus dinosaurs fights because they are too scared to do anything else."

Lee smiled slightly in spite of his deep sadness.

"But do you really think it's hopeless? I don't want to waste your time."

"Nothing is hopeless, my boy. With enough brains, courage, and heart, all can be done. The _Wizard of Oz_ had the right of it.," Dr. Bosconovitch declared with a grin.

Lee's smile broadened. Even if they were unsuccessful, now at least he knew that work would be done in earnest to remedy Kazuya's condition.

"Now, I believe you have a company to run, Mr. Chaolan."

"Yes, I suppose I do," Lee replied, quickly finishing his vodka and setting the glass down on the desk. "Thank you."

Dr. Bosconovitch smiled his grandfatherly smile and nodded. Lee stood up and walked out of the small office knowing what he should have known along. Perhaps what he secretly had known. It made sense. It was in the charts and everything that Kazuya did.

The complaint about the smell of the koi pond had been the beginning. Now he complained about the smell of Lee's hair dye and cigarettes. He couldn't stand the smell of old books, eggs, or asparagus. Most recently he had begun complaining about an allegedly intolerable odor emanating from the gravesite of Heihachi's recently deceased beloved pet bear, Kuma. Lee had been unsure what to make of it. He had watched the crew dig the hole. It had been sufficiently deep. He couldn't smell anything, but to be sure he asked the groundskeeper and the gardener for a second and third opinions. Neither one of them could smell anything either. However, after the episode with the koi pond, he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. He constantly expected to find that his supply of hair dye had been thrown away or that there was a pile of burning books on the front lawn or that a bear exhumation was underway to be followed by a bear cremation.

Kazuya's sense of taste had clearly changed as well and that had been what had opened the floodgate for all the complaints against newly noxious odors. One night a few months ago when they had been out to dinner together as usual, Kazuya had made a surprising declaration.

"They use ground ginger here instead of fresh."

Lee had cocked his head and just looked at him for a moment.

"What? Here taste this. Tell me I'm wrong," Kazuya demanded, offering him a forkful of the garlic and ginger chicken he had ordered. Lee tasted it.

"You're right… I just remember one time somebody told me that I was the only one who could tell the difference between ground and fresh ginger," Lee replied with a smirk, recalling when Kazuya had made him soup that time shortly after Heihachi's death.

"Egads- perhaps you're rubbing off on me."

"Do you remember when the koi pond started to bother you and I asked you to tell me if you started noticing anything else?" Lee asked, pushing his unfinished teriyaki chicken towards Kazuya's side of the table and folding his hands in front of him on the table.

"Yeah… oh. You think there's a connection. Nah. That was a smell. This is different. It's a taste," Kazuya declared, taking a bite from the dish Lee had forfeited and then another from his own.

"Yeah… still though. Is there anything else?" Lee asked pointedly.

"There are other smells now that I don't like… your cigarettes, your hair dye. Whatever that woman is eating over that table diagonal from us smells horrid."

Lee peered over at the food in question.

"Asparagus?"

"Ugh… I knew I knew that smell. Never again."

Lee had just nodded. He was relatively sure he was agreeing to never serve asparagus again, but he could have been committing to eradicate an entire species of vegetables. He wasn't sure.

"As far as it goes with you… I'll tolerate as much as I can. Your hair is nice and you're addicted to nicotine," Kazuya stated bluntly.

Lee smiled.

"You like my hair?"

"Sure… I told you to go with the silver and not the platinum blonde or the purple, right? Because I thought it would look good and it did. I told you so at the time."

"You said it was 'kind of cool.' That's not the same thing," Lee argued.

Kazuya rolled his eyes, shook his head, and sipped his beer.

"Same difference."

"Trust me. It wouldn't have been," Lee insisted.

"Right, yeah. Feelings. So, yeah. Your hair is pretty, okay?"

Lee had smiled and he smiled recalling it. Occasionally Kazuya had managed to be sweet and almost like his old self and that had been one of those times. Those times had become increasingly rare.

He wasn't sure about the effects on Kazuya's other senses. He had stopped listening to Rush or Led Zepplin at ear drum shattering volumes while they were training, but Lee wasn't sure if that was because he no longer cared about music or if loud noises bothered him. He had no evidence regarding his sense of touch or sight. Lee wondered if those cold, soulless eyes that he had begun to grow accustomed to perceived the world differently. Kazuya had never mentioned it if they did. He hadn't spoken of differences in colors or shadows, but it was possible he had decided not to tell him. He was sure there were a lot of things that Kazuya wasn't telling him.

One thing that had been plain had been Kazuya's increased strength and speed. He had done his best to hide it until his fight against Heihachi during the tournament, but after that, he didn't bother. He now moved with unparalleled strength and speed. Prior to his announcement that he would be holding a second King of the Iron Fist T Lee couldn't help but wonder if he would ever compete in a tournament again. Who could have posed a challenge to his superhuman speed and power? Even his air hockey skills had drastically improved. Kazuya used to be good at air hockey. He could almost always beat either of the Williams girls and he could sometimes beat Lee, but Lee had been too fast. Had been. Recently Kazuya had been mopping the floor with him. A few weeks ago while playing air hockey in the basement together, Lee had thrown the paddle at his shoulder hard after losing to him for an hour and a half straight. Kazuya had merely laughed and reached up impossibly fast to pluck the paddle out of the air before it hit him.

"You're cute when you're angry," Kazuya had declared, grinning his cold blooded grin.

Lee pouted and ran his hand through his hair. He was surprised at how sweaty he had gotten playing air hockey. He walked over to the table and sipped his beer.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have thrown the paddle at you… it's just we were tied and I thought I had a chance," Lee began.

"I was letting you win. I won by accident. I thought you had the block," Kazuya admitted.

"You were letting me win?" Lee asked.

"Yeah… you seemed perturbed, so I thought that might help. Now, though, I'm thinking, 'Fuck it- I'll put in a bowling alley.' That'd be fun, right?"

"I don't like bowling. I never have."

"Yeah… but my bowling alley serves liquor and you won't have to rent shoes. I'll buy you some," Kazuya declared, still smiling.

Lee shrugged.

"It's your house. Do what you want."

"You better bowl with me, though."

"I will," Lee agreed. He doubted he had a choice.

"You're cute when you agree to bowl when you don't want to," Kazuya flirted, walking over to Lee, taking the beer from his hand, sipping it, and putting it down.

"I must have been cute for years then- I hate bowling," Lee flirted back, wrapping his arms around Kazuya's neck.

"Adorable," Kazuya replied with a smirk, wrapping his arms around Lee. They kissed. Lee rubbed Kazuya's muscular back and tried to block out just how much Kazuya's back reminded him of Heihachi's.

"How much weight do think this thing can hold?" Kazuya asked, tapping the air hockey table.

"I don't know. Why?" Lee replied, kissing Kazuya again.

"Why? You're supposed to be the genius. You tell me why," Kazuya teased, backing him up against the table and lifting him onto it.

"It seems pretty sturdy to me," Lee replied, kissing Kazuya again with his left leg wrapped around Kazuya's waist and his right foot up near Kazuya's left shoulder. He had caught on quickly.

Lee frowned as he returned to his office and put the report from the Devil Gene team in his desk. In spite of everything he still loved Kazuya and had an obligation to try to save him from turning him into the beast Dr. Bosconovitch had described- even if doing so was against his wishes. After all, it had all been his fault no matter what anybody tried to tell him.

When Kazuya returned three days later at ten o'clock at night during a thunderstorm, Lee had greeted him at the door in his pajamas. Per Kazuya's instructions, no servants were to remain on the compound after 9PM without special instruction.

"Hi," Lee declared, hugging him in spite of his wet jacket. Kazuya briefly hugged him back.

"Hi."

"How was your flight?"

"Rough. There's a storm. You should pack in the morning. We'll be going to Ireland."

Lee looked at him quizzically.

"Richard Williams is dead."

"Seriously? The girls must be devastated."

"I'm sure they are, but I didn't know what you planned to do with this, so I had to take some precautions," Kazuya stated, delving into his pocket and showing Lee a business card identical to the one Richard had given him at Heihachi's funeral. Lee felt like he was going to be sick.

"What I planned to do with this? Kazuya, you can't think-"

"Can't I? You were hiding this in a book and waiting for what, I wonder?" Kazuya asked, locking eyes with Lee.

"Richard gave it to me at Heihachi's funeral, but I never intended to use it. Kazuya, I forgot it was there!" Lee replied. It was essentially true. He hadn't thought about the card for some time.

"If you never intended to use it, then why not throw it away?" Kazuya snarled, inches from his face.

"I don't know. I was afraid," Lee replied.

"You were afraid? And you thought Richard Williams could stop me? If Heihachi Mishima couldn't stop me, then there's no way Richard Williams would have succeeded. You're lucky you didn't call him. I would've had to kill you, too," Kazuya stated matter-of-factly.

"Kazuya, how could you have done this?"

"It was simple. I like a good cross breeze in the early summer. So I needed a book heavy enough to keep the door open to the sitting room across the hall from the bedroom. I just happened to grab _Ulysses _and the business card fell out. So I set him up. My associates hired Anna for a bogus mission and then staged a kidnapping to lure Richard to an old cannery ostensibly to pay the ransom and pick up his daughter. I was relieved he showed up… I wasn't so sure he would for Anna, but he did and on his way back to the car, my sniper in the hills shot him in the head. It could've been a better shot- I guess he lived for a few hours afterwards, but that's how I did it."

Lee shook his head.

"Kazuya, it was a rhetorical question… I just can't believe you did this. I- I…" Lee trailed off. He really felt like he might be sick.

"Believe it. It happened. Let's go to bed. I'm tired," Kazuya stated.

"Kazuya… you killed Richard Williams. You used to like him. And you kidnapped your ex-girlfriend to get to him. You used to love that woman."

"Used to. And I killed my own father, so I think this sort of pales in comparison. And if you don't shut up, I might consider adding fratricide to the list. I've had a long day. Let's go to bed," Kazuya declared forcefully.

Lee looked him at him aghast. How did he expect him to follow him up the stairs and go to bed with him as if nothing had happened?

"Don't look at me like that. You should've known what would've happened if I ever found that card. You supposed to be intelligent, remember? Now come on. Long day ahead of us."

"Kazuya, how do you expect me to face Nina, knowing that you killed her father?"

"I don't know. I daresay it will probably be difficult for you, but if you tell her, then I'll be forced to carry out my previous threats against you. And I'd have to kill her and Anna and Aiden to insure my safety. If you don't want that, you'll keep your mouth shut and come to bed. And another thing. You need to stop with the smoking. We'll get you patches or something, but I can't stand it anymore. As I came up the driveway, I could smell it- stronger than that infernal bear," Kazuya declared.

Lee just stared back at him, defeated. It was too late to stop Kazuya from becoming a beast. He had clearly already become the inhuman monster that Dr. Bosconovitch had predicted he would turn into. Lee felt like falling to the floor and sobbing, but instead he took a deep breath and proceeded to the stairs without a word. However, once they were in bed, the darkness emboldened Lee.

"It's over, Kazuya. I won't ever tell Nina or Anna about you did for their own protection, but it's over. As soon as we're back, I'm leaving. I should've just left to start with like you told me to. I wish I had."

"You can leave me, but you can't leave the Zaibatsu. I need you there. And you'll still have to quit smoking. I can't take it anymore. Now, it's time to sleep."

"Kazuya, I can't sleep here with you."

"Too bad. You won't be sleeping anywhere else. Not tonight. You're not getting away."

"I'm not trying to get away. I would just sleep better in a different room."

"Well, it's not going to happen until we get back from Ireland, so deal," Kazuya snapped, throwing his arm over Lee to keep him from escaping. Lee felt like screaming. If he thought he even had a chance of getting away he would've tried, but he knew it was no use.

The next morning they left for Ireland and the day after they attended the funeral. Lee's sense of guilt was overwhelming. And the nicotine patch made him want to claw his arm off. When Nina foisted herself upon him and sobbed for several minutes straight, he again felt like he might be sick. And he could tell Aiden wanted to deck him and he didn't blame him. As the interment drew to a close, Lee was relieved that it was almost over. As soon as the girls had each thrown a handful of dirt on the coffin, Lee had walked a little ways away to wait for Kazuya by a large headstone in the shape of a Celtic cross.

"You're doing a good job. Better than I thought you would," Kazuya declared quietly as he approached.

Lee shrugged and didn't say anything. He didn't know how he looked, but he felt incredibly guilty.

"You have. Now let's see if we get invited for lunch. I'm starving," Kazuya declared.

"No. There's no way I can spend any more time with them today. I can't," Lee stated resolutely.

"You can if we're invited. It would seem strange if we didn't accept… maybe even suspicious."

"I don't care."

"Don't be stupid."

Lee pouted and jammed his hands in his pockets. It was then that Anna called out her lunch invitation and Kazuya graciously accepted.

Lee suffered through the meal, all the while scratching around his nicotine patch and feeling like he was going to come out of his skin. He felt Nina's sympathetic stare and he wanted to grab her and shake her and tell her the truth. She should hate him. If he had been smart enough to throw away that card or even hide it better, this would have never happened. Much like all the other bad things that seemed to happen around him, this was all his fault.

After the meal, Kazuya asked Anna to take a walk with him in the garden. Lee feigned nonchalance as he watched her get up from the table, looking at the black eye that Kazuya had been indirectly responsible for that she had tried to cover with make-up. When the door had closed behind the two of them, he was left alone with Nina and Aiden.

"I know Nina had asked you to come to Ireland before and you haven't, but perhaps it'd be different if I was asking you, and I am," Aiden declared locking eyes with Lee. Nina placed her small hand over Aiden's. They were both looking at him, waiting for a response.

"I wish I could… I just- I can't. Kazuya has made it very clear he can't spare me at the Zaibatsu," Lee replied.

"Well, if you want to go, we'll figure out a way," Nina said.

"We can," Aiden agreed.

"No. I appreciate it, but it's not worth the risk. Kazuya isn't just going to let me walk away."

"We figured as much. It'll take some doing, but I've talked to my brother and he guaranteed that he and his people would assist in any way possible and Nina got a similar promise from Richard's people. This can be done." Aiden asserted.

"With all due respect, we're talking about thwarting a man who is building up a nuclear arsenal against the government's wishes simply because he can. He's losing his sanity while simultaneously getting faster and stronger. He's got his own forces, military grade fighting robots, and who even knows what else. It's not worth fighting him so that I can leave. And if I left… nobody else would even try to stop him from doing anything. He'd be completely unchecked."

"Lee, you've tried your best, but the man you describe is unchecked. And unhinged. It's best you just get out while you can," Nina argued.

"Sorry, I can't," Lee replied flatly. Even if he managed to get out of Japan and come to Ireland, as soon as Kazuya found out, he would become a target. As would Nina and Aiden and maybe even Anna. It wasn't worth it.

"You could. You're just choosing not to. You're just being stubborn," Nina said, crossing her arms and looking away.

"Yeah. I am. To everyone's benefit," Lee declared.

"Perhaps, but my offer will stand. I wish you would take me up on it now, but I understand your decision," Aiden replied.

"Lee, stop making yourself into the martyr. We can-"

"NINA. That's enough of it. You said if he declined, you'd not do this and now you're doing it, so stop," Aiden told her firmly.

"When I agreed to that, I thought he'd see reason."

"He has his own reasons, I'm sure," Aiden replied.

"Are you still in love with him?" Nina demanded.

"No, but for the safety of all involved or hoping to become involved I must decline."

"But-"

"If we do this, we're all dead. I can't put it any plainer than that," Lee declared, scratching his arm violently.

"So that's it then? I can't talk you out of it?" Nina asked brusquely.

"No. I appreciate the offer, but the answer is no," Lee replied softly.

"It's a standing offer. Let us know if you change your mind," Aiden said. Nina looked away, her arms still crossed.

Lee nodded, knowing that there was no chance he'd change his mind. Ever.

A few moments later, he heard Kazuya and Anna re-entering the house following their stroll in the garden. When he saw Anna's smudged lipstick he couldn't help but wonder what Kazuya was playing at since he was no longer capable of love, but he was sure that it was something devious. Aiden and Nina had noticed it as well and seemed similarly displeased by the development. However it wasn't until Anna had uttered the words "See you at the Tournament" and Kazuya had smiled his cold smile and nodded at her that Nina exploded.

"What tournament?" Nina demanded.

"The second King of the Iron Fist Tournament. It will be held this October in Japan. I'll send along the details when they become available, but you'll want to compete. Winning will be very lucrative."

"I'm comfortable and my work is important," Nina replied icily as Anna eyed her anxiously.

"Trust me. With what I'm laying on the line, you could fund a full scale invasion of Britain. Make those imperialists pay or whatever the fuck it is you paddies are fighting for," Kazuya said.

"Get out of my house," Nina declared, eyes blazing with anger.

"See you in October," Kazuya replied with a smile before making his exit.

"Sorry," Lee stated feebly, rubbing his arm. It hurt where he had been scratching it.

"Don't be. You didn't say it," Nina replied, walking forward and throwing her arms around Lee while Aiden and Anna just watched.

"I know but-"

"Don't be a fool," Nina hissed into Lee's ear.

"I'm sorry. I'm doing what's best for all of us," Lee whispered back.

"But not what's best for you."

"Sure, it is," Lee replied, kissing her cheek and letting her go.

Nina frowned.

"I love you."

"I love you, too," Lee replied… and his stupidity and negligence had killed her father. He couldn't face her anymore. Instead he bore Aiden and Anna's embraces as best he could before walking out of the Williams' mansion and getting into the back of the limousine where Kazuya was waiting.

"Well, that went well," Kazuya declared.

Lee just stared at him

"You didn't tell her anything?" Kazuya asked.

"Of course not. I understand the consequences, Kazuya. I will never tell anyone."

"Good. I've been thinking. If you really want to leave, you could live in my penthouse. I'll even deed it over to you if that's important to you."

"Good. Do that," Lee replied coldly, looking out the window.

"It's not possible you'll reconsider?" Kazuya asked.

"No," Lee replied, continuing to look out the window.

"You're just like a woman. You have what you want and then you throw it away just because something isn't suiting you at the moment. Well, don't think you can just come back when you're over it."

Lee looked over at him.

"You think that sex was all I wanted from you? I was in love with you... or so I thought. I don't know. It's hard to even imagine that now. And you don't love me. You're not capable of love. You just want me to help you run your damn company. Well, I'll do it because I have to and more than that because I feel obligated to you, but I won't be beating down your door asking to come back. Ever," Lee spat.

Kazuya just smiled and shook his head, seemingly amused by Lee's outburst.

Lee looked out the window again. He wished he had never spotted "the rich man" entering that lavish hotel in downtown Beijing.

Upon returning to Japan, Lee unceremoniously packed his clothes and other items and proceeded to Kazuya's penthouse. Good to his word, Kazuya put the deed on his desk at the Zaibatsu two days later. Upon seeing it, Lee cracked a slight smile. It would be the first time he was officially on his own since he was twelve. In a strange way it was exciting.

In the subsequent months, Lee threw himself headlong into his work, helping to prepare VEST for the Tournament while overseeing a number of other projects. Dr. Bosconovitch began preliminary work on a serum he hoped would halt the progress of the Devil Gene in Kazuya's system. When Dr. Bosconovitch had told him about the project over lunch on a rainy August day, Lee had smiled.

"You don't have to work on that… I know you have other things to work on with your own work and the work that Kazuya's assigned you to do."

"Yes, but I talked Dr. Hayashi into loaning me the files from the original experiment and I had some new thoughts about developing a treatment. This still interests you, yes?" Dr. Bosconovitch asked, pointing at Lee with a plastic fork.

Lee nodded. Perhaps he shouldn't have cared anymore, but it was impossible not to.

And then a week ago, Kazuya's intelligence had discovered something about Interpol agents infiltrating the Tournament in order to investigate the activities of the Zaibatsu and he had been driving Lee absolutely insane ever since. From the first time Kazuya had burst in his office to tell him about it, Lee had maintained that between Kazuya's intelligence and their own abilities they would be able to figure out who the agents were and how to handle them. In spite of this, Kazuya continued obsess over the issue. Oh well, Lee thought, parking his violet Mustang and walking towards his building. It was no longer his problem till Monday. Lee went up to his penthouse and drank alone.

"This better be important because I have a lot of shit to do," Kazuya stated, walking beside Lee down the corridor of dressing rooms. It was check-in day of the Tournament. He had lots of important things to do and he didn't have time for Lee's nonsense.

"I wouldn't have come and found you if it wasn't important," Lee insisted. He sounded weird.

"Are you alright?" Kazuya asked.

"No… and if you did this…. I don't even know Kazuya. I really don't," Lee replied.

"Did what?" Kazuya asked.

Lee looked over at him, apparently scrutinizing him to try to see if he was telling the truth.

"I have no time to prank you… so if someone pranked you it wasn't me. I don't even have time for this conversation. My Chief Intelligence Officer was just briefing me about the situation. I need to get back to that before these people show up."

"This will only take a second… and then you might need to reorder your priorities. You and I can handle Interpol," Lee replied, unlocking his dressing room door. They walked into the dressing room. "But how about this?" Lee asked, pointing towards a violet vase filled with white roses on the vanity table.

"Flowers?" Kazuya asked.

"Read the card"

Kazuya approached the vase and took the card from the clear plastic holder in their midst. All the typed message said was 'Still.'

"Still?" Kazuya asked.

"Still."

"So?"

"I think that you and I have bigger fish to fry than Interpol," Lee stated pointedly.

Kazuya realized what Lee was trying to say and laughed.

"You can't think that this means-"

"What else could it mean? Because unless you sent them as a cruel joke, I think it can really only mean one thing," Lee said.

"Well, if you flush a rat and he comes crawling back up the pipes then you take a shovel to his skull."

Lee merely gaped at him.

"If it's him, I'll take care of it," Kazuya explained, clapping Lee on the shoulder.

"But-"

"No. Don't make this into a bigger thing than it is. I beat him two years ago and I am exponentially stronger than I was then. If it's him, it'll be fine," Kazuya insisted.

Lee just continued to stare at the flowers. He looked distraught.

Kazuya sighed. He went to the window and opened it. He looked down. Lee's dressing room was apparently near the back of the building. Kazuya smiled as he picked up the flowers and gingerly fit them through the window before dropping them to the pavement below. The vase shattered and the roses fell to the ground in a wet heap.

"There… better?" Kazuya asked.

"This changes nothing," Lee replied morosely.

"Still'… 'Still' what? He still loves you? He's still plotting his revenge? He's still alive?"

"All of the above, perhaps."

"Well, don't worry about it. I always told you that if it turned out he was still alive, I would just kill him. Now come along with me for the intelligence briefing."

Lee floundered for a moment, looking to where the flowers had been and back at Kazuya before walking over to the window and shutting it. As they left, Lee locked the door behind him.

"It'll really be alright. Everything is under my control," Kazuya assured him.

Lee continued to look straight ahead as they walked down the corridor together.

"You don't believe me?"

"No."

"That's a shame, but it doesn't affect my ability to handle the situation. You'll see in the end that there was nothing to really worry about."

"I don't know, Kazuya," Lee replied.

"I do. Trust me," Kazuya stated firmly.

Lee sighed. They approached the room where the intelligence briefing was to take place.

"We'll talk more about this later, but for now, focus on the issue at hand."

Lee nodded.

So the old man is still alive, Kazuya thought, entering the room after Lee. Well, for now, Kazuya thought, a cold smile spreading across his lips. This time he would make sure that he finished the job.


	17. October 1988, Part II

October 1988, Part II

On a warm and bright Saturday afternoon in early autumn, Akira Kyamata smiled as a black Cadillac slowly made its way up the driveway. He had been waiting for this day for some time now. He rose from his desk chair to in order to answer the door personally. When the butler approached the foyer to see if he could be of some assistance, Akira waved him off impatiently.

"See to it that my visitor and I are not disturbed," Akira ordered as an afterthought.

"Very good, Sir."

Akira smirked as he watched Heihachi Mishima get out the car.

"You're looking awfully good for a dead man, Laddie," Akira cracked as Heihachi approached the porch. Indeed, he looked as strong, healthy, and handsome as ever.

"Yes… about that. Shouldn't you be terrified?" Heihachi replied, smirking back.

"I would be… except I saw what you did in January of '87- moving money around that only you and I knew about it. I wasn't surprised then and I'm certainly not surprised or terrified now. I knew you'd turn up sooner or later." Akira stated with a shrug.

"You weren't even surprised then?" Heihachi asked. He looked disappointed.

"No. At your funeral, Lee admitted that there was no body."

"Lee?" Heihachi asked, raising his eyebrows at Akira and smirking again.

"Yes, I know his name," Akira replied, taking Heihachi by the elbow and leading him into the house and subsequently into his study. He closed the door behind them.

"I wasn't so sure. I don't remember you having said it in all the years since I brought him to Japan."

"Yes, well initially he was of no interest to me and then subsequently he became abhorrent to me… and then I felt bad for him. I don't think your son is very nice to him. I spoke to him not long ago… your bear passed and he wondered if I knew his birth year for the headstone."

"1959," Heihachi replied, frowning. He had loved that damn bear.

"I know. I told him that. I remember. Your wife didn't approve."

"It's not that she did not approve. She was afraid of him."

"Which is worse."

"No. Her fears were unfounded. Kuma had good training, He didn't present any danger to her."

"Yes. Bears are such harmless creatures. What on Earth was Kazume thinking?" Akira cracked sarcastically.

"I wouldn't have kept the bear if I thought it posed any danger to her. End of discussion," Heihachi declared. Still touchy about the dead wife over a quarter of a century later. Now that was devotion.

"Fine. However, knowing how much that bear meant to you, I've taken the liberty of obtaining a young brown bear for you. I've further taken the liberty of calling him Kuma II. His handlers say he's very intelligent. My children and my servants think I've gone quite mad, but then who cares?" Akira asked.

"How about your wife?" Heihachi asked icily.

"I'm still between wives."

"Fiancée?"

"No."

"Girlfriend?"

"Nope."

""Boyfriend."

"Not at the current time. Why? You interested?" Akira asked, getting up from his desk and pouring himself a scotch.

"No. Perhaps if it were the truth, but-"

"He never comes here anyway… he doesn't know about the bear and he's so terribly dull. For another chance with you, I would kick his toned twenty-something ass to the curb," Akira explained, sipping his drink. That was his Laddie; he had always been such a prude.

Heihachi smiled, looking terribly smug and amused.

"Eh… go fuck yourself. Did you want a drink?" Akira asked.

"No thank you… I haven't had a drink since my untimely passing."

"Yes… and with the second King of the Iron Fist Tournament less than a week away, I suppose you're in training."

"That I didn't know. All the more convenient. I've been in training since the moment my injuries had healed sufficiently."

"Yes, I'm sure. If you didn't know about the Tournament, then why did you come back?" Akira asked, sitting back down at his desk while Heihachi continued to stand.

"It was time," Heihachi replied vaguely.

"Because...," Akira prompted with a smirk. He wondered if Heihachi would say it.

"You know why," Heihachi stated firmly. He looked irritated.

"Can't you say it, Laddie?" Akira teased, amused by Heihachi's obvious irritation.

"There's no need to say it and quit calling me that! I have favored scotch in years," Heihachi replied sullenly.

Akira continued to smile, taking pleasure in his old flame's irritation. He wondered if anyone knew Heihachi Mishima as he knew him. He supposed no one did, but then he supposed there were also sides that Heihachi hid from him as well and that was most displeasing.

"Perhaps that's why he left you… your inability to express yourself," Akira suggested, sipping his scotch again.

Heihachi shot him a murderous glare.

"I assure you he knew exactly how I felt. I expressed myself, as you phrase it. At the time he was apparently interested in acting irresponsibly and having fun. Perhaps now it's out of his system and if it's not… well, it won't influence the way I am choosing to handle matters with Kazuya. And then he'll have a choice to make," Heihachi stated gruffly.

"It is my understanding that a choice of sorts has already been made. Lee has moved out of the Compound. Kazuya continues to live there while Lee resides in Kazuya's penthouse- alone."

"Is this gossip or-"

"Before I sent their most recent financial statements, I verified their addresses."

Heihachi smiled and nodded, clearly satisfied with the news.

"But as far as it goes with Kazuya," Akira began.

"That doesn't concern you. It's solely a family issue. We will not be discussing it."

"Fair enough."

"Is there anything else I should know? The stocks? Anything with the Zaibatsu?"

"The stock are doing well. The boys have done an excellent job generating good press for the company, but rumors have begun swirl- about what the Zaibatsu is really up to and the state of Kazuya's sanity- to a lesser degree, Lee's drinking,"

"What's the Zaibatsu supposedly up to?" Heihachi asked.

"Improving medical technologies and the like."

"And what's it really up to?"

"Military technology. Weapons and drones," Akira replied.

"Has Kazuya lost his mind?"

"That I don't know. I also don't know how much worse Lee's drinking is. Those are just rumors I've heard. Even the ones about the Zaibatsu."

Heihachi nodded.

"Additionally, I think you should know that Richard Williams is dead. Unless of course you know already," Akira stated. It wouldn't remotely surprise him to find out that Heihachi was somehow behind Richard's death. Perhaps Richard had been a little too interested in whether or not Heihachi had survived his plummet from the cliff.

Heihachi shook his head.

"Cancer?"

"No… gunned down. Shot in the head by a sniper. Poetic justice, I suppose."

"When?" Heihachi asked. He looked genuinely surprised.

"June. I didn't attend the funeral. It was in Ireland."

"He was killed in Ireland?"

"Yes."

"Was it an IRA thing or something else?"

"I don't know. Perhaps surprisingly, he divided his assets equally between his two girls and I've reworked their portfolios. I'm meeting with both girls in person in the next week while they're in town for the Tournament, but they've elected to meet with me separately."

"I like Anna. She reminds me a lot of her mother."

"Yes, you've said."

"Yes, but not to her. I don't know. In a case like this, you never know what Richard has told them."

"True enough," Akira agreed. He had been waiting for Heihachi euphemistically refer to Callista's murder at the hands of her husband as the 'unpleasantness between Richard and Callista' as he typically did. For a man of such power and violence Heihachi could still be awfully squeamish in regard to certain matters.

"So there's going to be a second King of the Iron Fist Tournament?"

"Yes… from my understanding it will be like EPCOT meets a Tournament. It was in this morning's paper on the end table by the lamp. You can read the article if you like. What did you do with yourself for the past two years?"

"Trained. I lived like a hermit. I moved a small amount of money in order to stockpile supplies and then I disappeared into the woods."

"Did you always intend to come back?"

"Yes, of course. Kazuya needs to pay," Heihachi replied.

"Do you think you can take Kazuya down now? Because from what I understand about the last time, he knocked you around pretty good and threw you off a cliff."

Heihachi growled in response to the comment.

"Well?"

"I've been training non-stop for the past two years. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm highly motivated. Now I've even got the venue. So, yes, I'm ready to defeat Kazuya."

"Fair enough. What happens if you fail?" Akira asked.

"Failure is not an option. The loser will be killed and I have no intention of dying," Heihachi replied.

"I see. But you will kill your only son?"

Heihachi shrugged.

"He killed me."

"No. He thought he killed you. He didn't really. That's not justice- that's murder," Akira argued.

"I'm not in the market for justice. I just want everything that's rightfully mine back."

"Well, legally, since you're alive-"

"Do you think that means Kazuya will just turn everything back over to me? No! Once Kazuya finds out that I'm alive his biggest concern will be killing me," Heihachi stated firmly.

Akira sighed. He supposed so. He knew it wouldn't always have been the case, but after Heihachi had done whatever it was that he did to Kazuya he wasn't the same boy anymore.

"Fair enough. I think there's another rumor I should tell you about then."

Heihachi looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"There's been talk that Kazuya has an army- I assume it's your Tekken Force or whatever it was… but if they're protecting him this may be a difficult task and if they're loyal to him, they may attempt to avenge him if you succeed."

"That's the wonderful thing of the fool holding a second tournament. It provides me with the proper forum for my aggression. Additionally, those men are mercenaries. Their loyalty has a price attached. Once it's me signing their checks again rather than Kazuya, they'll be my men. In the meantime, however, I've already arranged for some back up. I didn't know what I'd be coming back to. I never imagined it could be this easy," Heihachi said.

"Back-up?"

"I have my own force, or rather I borrowed one from Mrs. Haglund."

Akira gave him a quizzical look.

"Mrs. Ingrid Alexandersson-Haglund."

"Oh… her."

"Yes. Her. What a woman. Unlike you, she didn't know I was alive and I frightened her half to death by waiting for her in her office," Heihachi explained with a gleeful smile.

"So, she's married now?"

"Yes… to a General. He absolutely dotes on her."

"Did the General know you that you stopped by?"

"No."

"The General doesn't know you were there, but you've borrowed a contingent from his army?"

"Yes… he thinks that a large group is away on training exercises in the field. Ingrid said she could tell him that they had gone to the moon and he wouldn't care so long as she had sent them," Heihachi replied.

Akira gave him a look.

"As I said, he absolutely dotes on her."

Akira continued to give him that same look.

"It wasn't that kind of a visit…she's married and expecting her third child," Heihachi explained, blushing slightly.

"You know, ordinarily I wouldn't tell you what to do-"

"_You_ wouldn't tell _me_ what to do? We had a whole relationship based on that, remember?"

"That's not how I remember it, but so if we did? You needed a lot of guidance at the time. However, typically, as an adult, you've made smart decisions. That being said, I don't think killing Kazuya is the answer. I don't think it will give you the satisfaction you hope it will and I think it will bring back what it is you want most."

Heihachi growled.

"Growl all you want. When I thought you were dead, I was beside myself, but I still can't condone this. I think you need to go back to the Zaibatsu and undo whatever it is that you did to Kazuya. I don't think Lee's forgiveness would be far behind."

"I don't know that it can be 'undone' and what makes you think I want anything to do with Lee? He's a traitorous little slut."

"Perhaps, but I think you love him just the same. I wish you didn't. I wish you'd just settle for me already, but I don't think that's very likely given your feelings for Lee."

Heihachi growled again. Akira picked a paperclip out of the magnetic holder on his desk and threw it at Heihachi. He could be so stubborn.

"It's okay to have feelings," Akira pointed out, looking at Heihachi.

"Sure, but I don't, though," Heihachi lied.

Akira shook his head and took another sip of his scotch. Heihachi merely stared back at him.

"What?" Akira asked.

"Well, I thought I might stay here, you know, until I can move back into the Compound. It shouldn't be long… apparently next week."

"You can stay here as long as you like, but what makes you think you can beat Kazuya after last time?" Akira demanded.

"You doubt me?" Heihachi responded.

"Quite frankly, yes."

"You shouldn't. I've got this."

"Regardless, I don't think you ought to kill Kazuya."

"I suppose that's where we disagree."

"I suppose. Anyway, you're still welcome here," Akira stated, wishing he could talk Heihachi out of what he knew to be a bad decision.

"Well, thank you. Don't sound so enthused about it," Heihachi remarked sarcastically.

Akira smiled. Perhaps over the next several days he could convince him to change his mind.

"What's the smile about?"

"Perhaps you'd like to go see your new bear?" Akira asked, changing the subject.

"Yes, I'd like that," Heihachi replied, returning the smile.

"Well, come along then," Akira declared, getting from his desk and leading his formerly late friend through the house. It was nice to have him back.

As soon as Kazuya's Chief Intelligence Officer had finished the briefing and left the room, Kazuya reached over and flicked Lee's bicep hard.

"Ow. What was that about?"

"Were you paying attention at all during the presentation? You have this weird glassy eyed look… were you drinking?" Kazuya asked, sort of sniffing about his face.

"No," Lee lied.

"I can smell it."

Lee sighed. There was no sense in lying to Kazuya anymore about drinking. Even when he could drink vodka and get away with it with everyone else, Kazuya had the sense of smell to hold him accountable.

"Fine. I have had a drink, but I'm not drunk. I'm anxious about Heihachi."

"Focus on the matter at hand."

"Fine. This shouldn't be difficult. I'll take Wulong and you can take Kazama and we'll see to it that neither finds out that much."

"How? Violence?"

"I was thinking more like distractions- except for during the Tournament. Then you can beat on them."

"Distractions," Kazuya repeated.

"Yeah… they'll be undercover- playing a character essentially and trying to find out something about the Zaibatsu. It would be ideal to find out what that is, but not necessary. We just need to stay with them, limit the information they're given, and use counterintelligence to make sure that they aren't attempting to find out more while we're not with them."

"Are we attempting to do this together?"

"Not unless they present themselves as a couple."

"Yeah… that makes sense. Why do I have to take the girl?"

"It doesn't matter, Kazuya. I can take her if you want," Lee replied.

"No, that's okay. I was just wondering."

"Either way. It's really immaterial to me," Lee stated.

"Leave it as it is then."

"Fine… so more importantly, what are we going to do about Heihachi?"

"Like I said, I'll kill him."

"When? How?"

"In the conservatory with the candlestick? How the fuck should I know? When the timing is right, I will kill him."

"What if he doesn't compete in the Tournament?"

"He will compete in the Tournament. It's just not the type of thing he would shrug off and given what happened last time, he has something to prove."

"It would be the smarter move not to compete in the Tournament and come at us in a less obvious way," Lee replied.

"Yes… and while Heihachi Mishima is a smart man, he's also cocky and very much concerned with his image. He probably thinks that now that he's fought me once and knows what it'll be like that he can win against me. He probably thinks it's necessary to do this because of what happened the last time we fought. Perhaps he faked his death after the last Tournament because he was too humiliated to face anyone after his defeat to me. You've got to think about what a petty dick he can be when it comes to me."

"Granted… but even if he does choose to fight you in the Tournament, what makes you think that he might not have something bigger planned? If he's done pretending to be dead, we might not be the first people that he's informed," Lee pointed out.

"Fine. Possibly, but unless the US military is backing him, then I think I have the situation under control."

Lee sighed. Kazuya clearly wasn't concerned about Heihachi's return and he supposed there was nothing to be done about it.

"What?" Kazuya demanded.

"Well, how sure are you about the loyalty of the Tekken Force?"

"Very."

"There's no chance he's contacted some of his original people and they've formed a splinter cell?"

"No. I can't even fathom who this army you're imagining would be comprised of."

"Well, I'm sure he's not without means. They could be mercenaries or they could be the boon of yet another of Heihachi's many lives. I don't know exactly. I just don't know if he's so arrogant that he'd think he could topple you simply beating you in the Tournament."

"Not just beating me. He'll have to kill me. It's kill or be killed. One of us will win and one of us will die," Kazuya stated matter-of-factly.

Lee frowned. He didn't like Kazuya's assessment of the situation, but he didn't necessarily disagree with it either.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. I think that you're the Teflon man either way. In my case, you're too valuable to get rid of and in his case… well, he's apparently still in love with you or some such nonsense. So, you'll probably be just fine regardless," Kazuya opined.

"I just wish there was a way-"

"For us to all live happily ever after? That's not going to happen. It's not possible. Somebody's going to win, somebody's going to die, and the victor will decide the fates of the ancillary players."

Lee didn't say anything; Kazuya was probably right about everything,

"I will put people on this- to try to figure out where he is and what his plans are, but I don't know if they'll be successful. In the meantime, I think we should focus on dealing with the Interpol agents. If my intelligence finds something about Heihachi's whereabouts and plans, then we can decide what to do about him."

Lee nodded.

"Till then, getting Jun Kazama and Lei Wulong out of our hair is the top priority," Kazuya stated, checking his watch. "I'm picking up Anna in about a half an hour. We're going to lunch. Interested?"

"No," Lee replied. He felt like he might never want to eat again.

"The agents aren't supposed to get in till around three."

"Yeah, but I don't want to go on your date and Nina will be here soon anyway," Lee replied.

"Suit yourself."

"I will," Lee replied, stalking off to his dressing room to make a closer read through of the file on Lei Wulong. Warily re-entering his dressing room, Lee sat down at the vanity table and began to read through the file. Apparently Wulong had been a highly regarded and successful detective in his native Hong Kong. However, shortly after working on a case involving an enormous underworld dog fighting operation with Interpol agent, Jun Kazama, he had decided to become an Interpol agent. Apparently he and Kazama had dated, but it appeared to be over now. Master of Five Form Kung Fu and Zui Quan. Enjoys going to Kung Fu film festivals, karaoke bars, and strip clubs. Lee shook his head. He wished he had picked the girl. Maybe they could have gone shopping or gotten mani-pedis. At the sound of a knock at the door, Lee quickly closed the folder and got up to answer the door but hesitated. He wished he had his Glock. He honestly didn't know what he'd do if it were Heihachi at the door. There was a second knock.

"Are you gonna let me in?" Nina demanded.

"Hold your horses," Lee replied, unlocking the door for Nina and then opening it.

"Were you masturbating in here or something? Took long enough," Nina teased, hugging him.

"No. I was looking at something and it seems that Heihachi is back, so I was hesitant to open the door," Lee replied.

Nina let go of him.

"Heihachi's back?"

"Yeah… we think. He sent me flowers."

Nina looked around.

"Where are they?"

"Kazuya dropped them from the window."

"Sounds like him," Nina replied.

Lee nodded.

"I can't believe Anna, coming here a week early to see him. What is she about? Aiden even tried to talk her out of it, but it turned into this ugly 'You're not my father!' thing, so he gave up. Good riddance, though, in a way- all she ever did was mope around," Nina declared, putting her hands on her hips. It was then that Lee noticed the ring.

"You're engaged?" Lee asked, grabbing his friend's hand from her hip without permission. The band was silver with a sizeable diamond in between two smaller emeralds.

"Yeah," Nina replied indifferently.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lee asked.

"I don't know. It didn't seem like a big deal," Nina replied, allowing Lee to continue to examine her ring.

"It's kind of a huge deal," Lee declared.

"Well, sorry. I didn't know it was this important to you," Nina replied, continuing to allow Lee to scrutinize the ring.

"It's a really nice ring. When did he propose?" Lee asked, still shocked she hadn't called and told him.

"I don't know… not long after my Dad was gone. I didn't really like living in the house without him, so I pretty much moved in with Aiden without asking. Of course, he didn't mind. He cleared out drawers for me. Then after a couple of months of me unofficially living there, he asked me to marry him."

"So it was in August?"

"Yeah, late August."

"You should've called."

"Sorry. I've been busy. We've been working non-stop and we're no closer to finding out who killed my Dad. I just thought you would've figured as much and you've got your own problems. And I was angry at you for not coming to Ireland," Nina admitted.

Lee frowned and let go of her hand, feeling guilty about everything.

"It's okay, though. I'm not angry anymore. I'm just worried about you. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you," Nina explained.

"I love you, too," Lee replied.

"I know. But I guess I was being too stubborn about you coming to Ireland… I can't have my cake and eat it, too… I suppose. Though, what a stupid expression. Of course if someone had cake, it'd only be natural to eat it," Nina stated, sitting down on the couch across the room from the vanity table. It was like déjà vu- down to her completely black outfit and boots.

"Technically, the expression is stating you can't both continue to possess the cake and eat it, but as it sounds, it's stupid. Idioms are typically asinine," Lee agreed. He wondered if Aiden had told her that. He couldn't help but notice Aiden's disapproving looks when Nina hugged him for inordinate periods of time.

"That was the dorkiest way possible to agree with me while also disagreeing with me, but I'll take it. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Lee replied. It was the truth. He was lonely.

Nina smiled and beckoned him over to the couch. He sat down beside her and put his right arm around her shoulders.

"What are you going to do if Heihachi's really back?" Nina asked.

Lee frowned. It was a good question.

"Once we were talking and you said you missed him," Nina began.

"Well, or that I missed how things were when we were together. I loved him, but more than that I really loved my life. I was stupid and unnecessarily complicated things with Kazuya when I should have just let them be. I had a great career and we had good times together, the four of us. But then I went and screwed everything up."

"No. You didn't do anything wrong. You- you know, you really kind of did what I did when we moved to New York. I had feelings for you for a long time, I pressed it, we tried, and it didn't work out. Was I wrong to do that?"

"No. But it was wrong that I did that, too," Lee replied.

"Malarkey. Were you sure that you were gay until we were together?"

"More or less."

"But you didn't know about the moistness and whatever else it was about me, and womankind, that disgusts you, right?"

"I suppose not. Where are you going with this?" Lee asked, feeling a slightly embarrassed.

"Things happen for a reason. If we hadn't gotten together, I would've still been pining over you. If I had even met Aiden, which I probably wouldn't have because I probably would've been at the gym with you, I would've never entertained the possibility of giving him a chance. I still would've been completely stuck on you."

"I'm sorry you ever had feelings for me… I should've realized and just told you the truth from the start," Lee replied.

"Don't be sorry. And don't be sorry about what happened between you and Kazuya either. He was attracted to you, too, or else it wouldn't have happened. And beyond that, like I already told you, Heihachi would've found a reason to do what he did to Kazuya even if he had never adopted you. Right before the last Tournament when my Dad was briefing me on Kazuya's condition, he said Heihachi had never cared about Kazuya as far as he could tell- even when he was a little boy. It's sad, but it's not your fault," Nina insisted, looking up at him.

Lee remained unconvinced by Nina's arguments.

"You're so stubborn… why do you insist on believing that everything is your fault?"

"Because it is," Lee replied.

"I assure you that's not the case," Nina stated.

Lee shook his head. She didn't know the half of it. As far as he was concerned, he had been responsible for triggering a chain of events that led to the destruction of two of the people he cared the most as well as causing the murder of his best friend's beloved father. He was starting to feel like he was cursed, but in reality he knew these things were the product of his bad decisions.

"Do you think Heihachi could order scientists at the Zaibatsu to-"

"I already have the most brilliant scientist I've ever met looking into it. He isn't too hopeful," Lee snapped, irritated that she seemed to think he hadn't done everything in his power to find a remedy for Kazuya's condition.

"I'm sorry to hear it. Kazuya was a wonderful person," Nina said in a soft voice, kind of wiping her eyes on his shoulder as Lee stared down in disbelief. What was up with her?

"He was. Dr. B. said not to give up, but it's hard… especially now when- well, what if somehow Heihachi wins? Then what? Kazuya said that whoever wins will kill the loser."

Nina wiped her eyes brusquely with the back of her hand.

"There's no way Heihachi should be able to prevail against Kazuya. After what happened the last time and knowing that Kazuya has just gotten stronger since then, there's no logical way that Heihachi can win," Nina argued.

"Yeah… so what then? Stand by and let Kazuya kill him?" Lee asked.

"Is that what you want?" Nina responded, looking up at him with her ice blue eyes.

"No… I wish everything could be like it was."

"Not an option."

"I know. I just don't even know what I want at this point," Lee lamented.

"Aye… this must be hard for you. I know you loved both of them, but neither man is who he was- keep that in mind. And I'm not making another argument for Ireland because I promised Aiden I'd let you alone about that, but if I were you, I'd be thinking about getting out. If there's nothing that can be done for Kazuya, then I think it's time you left," Nina said.

Lee didn't look at her, but nodded. She was almost certainly right, but he didn't know if he could abandon Kazuya. Even now.

"Hey now, I didn't mean to upset you… I'm just concerned."

"Well, not without good reason and that makes sense, but I just don't think I can leave him. Not until I'm sure he's beyond saving," Lee stated.

"You're so sweet… and brave."

Lee shook his head. As far as he was concerned he owed Kazuya at least that much.

"You are. Now, let's go and get some sushi or something. I'm starving. I slept through the in-flight meal and I ate four of the little packets of peanuts, but it just wasn't enough," Nina declared, standing up.

Lee smiled slightly at his friend's predicament. He wasn't hungry, but he could use a drink. When she extended her hand to him, he took it and allowed her to pull him up.

"You drive… I could do with a nice adrenaline rush- get my blood flowing after that long flight," Nina teased, elbowing him gently in the side.

Lee smirked and pushed his silver hair back with his left hand. As disappointing as it was, things could never be as they were.

Anna Williams was enjoying her lunch at the Mishima Compound. Sitting at a high-top table in Kazuya's recently constructed basement bowling alley, Anna smiled as she plucked an onion ring from Kazuya's plate and then sipped her beer.

"This beer tastes real cheap- like the kind you'd get in a bowling alley."

"Thanks. It's supposed to," Kazuya replied. He didn't look like he was having nearly so much fun.

"Something wrong?" Anna asked, taking a chip from her plate of nachos. She enjoyed the burning of the jalapeno on her tongue before taking another sip of her beer.

"No. Just a lot on my mind," Kazuya replied.

"Care to elaborate?" Anna asked, stealing another onion ring from her plate.

"No. I always wondered how you could eat like that and not weigh a million pounds," Kazuya stated.

"Ditto," Anna replied.

Kazuya gave a shrug of concession and began cracking his knuckles.

"So… do you know what you're going to do yet?" Anna asked, continuing to enjoy her nachos.

"About?" Kazuya asked. He seemed irritated.

"Your father? The Interpol agents? Whatever it is that's bothering you," Anna replied, sipping her beer again.

"I know what I'm going to do about my father. That part is easy. Just a question of when and what stupid crap he's going to try to pull. The Interpol agents… well, now that I know what to expect, I'm not worried. What's a rail-thin, granola munching hippie going to do to me? This is going to be too easy," Kazuya stated.

"Well, then, why aren't you eating? Why're you scowling like that?" Anna demanded.

Kazuya shrugged.

"Is this about Lee?"

"No. Nothing is about Lee. Don't bring him up to me. Ever. Do you hear me?" Kazuya asked, firmly, slamming his open palm down on the table.

Anna nodded. Lee was obviously still a sore spot. Ever the pain in the ass.

"Do you want to bowl?" Kazuya asked, nodding towards Mishima Lanes.

"No, sorry. I just had my nails done," Anna replied, holding out her hands to display her fire engine red nails to Kazuya.

Kazuya rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Sorry. Do you wanna play air hockey?"

"No," Kazuya replied quickly.

"Skeeball?" Anna asked, spying a bank of Skeeball machines that Kazuya must have put in recently.

"Fine. Done gorging yourself?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah," Anna replied indifferently, wiping her fingers with her napkin and then throwing it onto the plate of nachos. Typically, it would've been the pot calling the kettle black, but something had obviously disturbed him to the point where it was affecting his appetite even if he didn't want to admit it.

"Good," Kazuya replied, getting down from the chair and walking over to the Skeeball machine. Without waiting for her, he pressed the button on his machine and it let out a triumphant, electronic noise signifying the start of the game.

Anna walked over to the machine next to Kazuya.

"Skip one. I need space," Kazuya stated.

Anna nodded and moved over and pressed the button. She watched as the hardwood balls rolled down the hollow rail on her right hand side.

"How come they don't make left-handed Skeeball machines?" Anna asked in a whiny voice.

"They do. I did. There's one on the end," Kazuya replied curtly.

Anna looked over at the specially made machine and smiled, but the smile faded when she realized he had probably ordered it for Lee- not her.

"Go ahead and use that one. I'll switch over to the one you were on," Kazuya instructed, without bothering to look over at her. He was very intent on his game.

Anna moved over again to the left handed machine and pressed the button. She couldn't help but smile as she watched the balls roll down the rail on the left hand side for the first time. Plucking one of the balls from bank, Anna swung her arm and let go of the ball. She watched as it bounced off the rim of the forty point hole and fell down into the ten. She had never been too good at Skeeball.

"Kazuya… there was something I wanted to talk to you about," Anna began, picking up her second ball.

Kazuya only grunted in response as he continuously threw ball after ball down the alley of his machine.

"Kazuya," Anna began.

"If this is about relationship stuff, we'll deal with that after the Tournament," Kazuya replied gruffly.

"No… it's about something I saw. Those men outside the house in the black outfits- they're Tekken Force, right?" Anna asked, picking up one of the balls and tossing it underhand down the alley. Thirty points. Not so bad.

"Yeah… they're just on bodyguard detail," Kazuya replied, still not looking at her as he concentrated on his game.

"I've seen suits like that before- with the clever body armor patches. I remember thinking they were quite sharp. Y'know, sometimes you think the funniest things… I remember thinking 'If I make it through this, I really ought to find out who makes those brilliant suits.' I even remember thinking how jealous Nina would be when she saw it and I didn't tell her where it was from. She dresses like she thinks she's Johnny Cash. I'm surprised she hasn't switched her Tournament outfits to black," Anna commented.

Now Kazuya was looking at her. She  
smiled.

"Listen, Sweetie… you can tell me the truth. Didja kill my father?" Anna asked, taking a step towards Kazuya. He locked eyes with her, but said nothing.

"I mean, I suppose there could be a group of traitors within the Tekken Force who are working for Heihachi, but I doubt that would've gone unnoticed and unpunished. So?" Anna asked, continuing to stare down Kazuya.

"So what do you want from me?" Kazuya demanded icily.

"I want to know why… and I want to be your wife. I'll never tell Nina or Aiden. I loved my father, but he loved Nina more and I love you more. My loyalty's to you- and as someone who you had kidnapped as bait, I think that counts for a lot," Anna stated.

Kazuya sighed. He looked agitated. Anna continued to stare at him pointedly. She wasn't going to back down.

"Fine. I had your father killed," Kazuya confessed flatly.

Anna nodded slightly taken aback. She had known this since she saw the Tekken Force soldiers' uniforms, but it was still disconcerting hearing it. Rather than dwelling, she steeled herself.

"Why?"

"Because your father apparently gave Lee a business card at my father's funeral and I could tell Lee was getting antsy. I was… concerned when the business card fell out of a book I was using to prop open a door. I appreciate a good cross-breeze," Kazuya explained casually.

"Sweetie, Lee's a twerp and he's really rubbed me the wrong way since he ran away from home and led my sister on and then threw himself at you, but I don't think he would've had you killed. I just don't think he has it in him," Anna opined.

"Probably not, but I wasn't going to find out. I put up with a lot from Lee. I thought about getting rid of him- was there a way to push him aside? But then he turned out to be a very effective Vice President and it was more prudent to deal with him and try to keep him happy. Only I don't have what it takes anymore to make him happy. I'm not that man anymore. I wasn't the whole time we were together and we both knew it. I think he tried to pretend sometimes, but in the end I think it became impossible for him. Now he's loyal to me out of guilt- nothing more. I almost wish he'd just run back to Heihachi so I could have the satisfaction of killing them both," Kazuya declared.

"Well, I don't think that's going to happen," Anna replied, slightly taken aback by Kazuya's statement.

"No. I don't think so either. He seems to be quite frightened of Heihachi. Pathetic."

"Yeah. D'ya think there's a chance you're underplaying the threat your father presents?" Anna asked.

"No. Everything is under control," Kazuya replied curtly, returning to his game of Skeeball with remarkable speed.

"Fair enough. I still want to marry you."

Kazuya didn't say anything. The Skeeball machine let out an electronic cry of exaltation as Kazuya finished his game with a score of 310.

"Kazuya," Anna pressed, watching him as he pressed the button to begin another game.

"I heard you," Kazuya snapped.

"And?"

"Yes… whatever. But first let's get through the Tournament, deal with fucking Interpol, and eliminate my father, okay? Then you pick out a ring or whatever it is you want to do and I'll go along with it. Not because I killed your father, but because perhaps I underestimated your loyalty. And I appreciate the balls it must take to call me out over something like this- I understand I'm no longer the easiest man to talk to," Kazuya said, nonchalantly continuing to play his game.

"No… but I love you. Do you love me?" Anna asked.

"No, but don't take it personally. I'm incapable. I used to love you, if that's makes you feel better," Kazuya replied.

Anna thought a moment. This wasn't going how she hoped it would.

"Did you love Lee?"

"No. Well, again, I did... but I but not recently and not like that. I just wanted to manipulate him. It worked longer than I thought it would. For somebody so smart, he's awfully dumb."

Anna shrugged. Lee had probably just loved Kazuya. He probably still did.

"And he became obsessed with changing me back even when I made it painfully clear that I longer had any interest in that. I love the power and the freedom that come with no longer having the burden of a conscience? Incredible. Every decision is pure gain," Kazuya explained, still not looking at her.

"What do you stand to gain from marrying me?" Anna asked, crossing her arms and waiting for an explanation.

"From the sounds of it? A lifetime of nagging," Kazuya replied with a cold smile.

Anna scowled and continued to stare with her arms crossed.

"Really? I don't know. Increased assets, hot wife, and children," Kazuya replied.

"You want kids?" Anna asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Kazuya answered casually.

"What if you hate them?"

"As a Mishima, I think I was pretty much destined to. Although my grandfather liked me, so maybe when we have grandkids I'll like them. I don't know. Just don't adopt any Chinese street kids or I might end up fucking them," Kazuya joked mirthlessly.

Anna dropped her arms to her side. She was beginning to question her decision. As much as it pained her to admit it, Nina and Aiden may've been right.

"Anna," Kazuya began, ceasing to play Skeeball and turning to look at her, "I'm just under a lot of stress right now. I just want to get through this next week, okay? And then I'll be serious about everything. You can plan a wedding- whatever you want. Only please wait until the Tournament's done and I've dealt with my father"

With a sigh, Anna walked over to him and hugged him. He hugged her back gently. She wondered if she'd ever get used to that. A hug from Kazuya used to be as good as a trip to the chiropractor.

"I appreciate you choosing me… I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"Well, Daddy's dead and if I told Nina she'd just kill you," Anna replied, kissing Kazuya.

"I would've loved for her to try it."

"Wait… would you have killed her? Maybe I've got this all wrong," Anna joked with a smile.

"Yeah. I probably would've. Why? Is that what you want? It could be arranged," Kazuya told her

Anna studied at his face. Was this another demented attempt at humor or was he serious? It was hard to tell.

"As tempting as that is, I don't think you had better kill Nina. She's got thugs of her own… maybe it'd start a small scale war. And then of course, there's Aiden," Anna said. She liked Aiden in spite of herself. He was actually a really nice guy- much nicer than her sister.

"I'd have him killed, too. He irks me. He did even before everything. And I recall that I used to be a pretty easy guy to get along with."

"You were," Anna agreed.

"Listen… with these Interpol agents- I'm not sure the angle I'm going to need to play with the female agent. I'm gonna need some leeway."

Anna smirked.

"Just be understanding… it's for the good of the Zaibatsu."

"Meaning what, Kazuya?" Anna asked.

"Meaning that if fucking this chick is the best way to get her off of our collective backs, I'm gonna do it. I don't think I can kill her. That's why it's hard. My first instinct is just to put a bullet in her head and be done with it. Lee vetoed that ages ago."

"Do you take orders from Lee?" Anna asked.

"No… but he's probably right about that."

"Is he going to fuck the other agent?"

"That's his business, but I think from the intelligence gathered on that agent it wouldn't interest him… either of them."

"Why couldn't you be assigned to the boy agent?" Anna demanded.

"I don't know. I saw a picture of him and he has this stupid ponytail and I knew he'd annoy me," Kazuya explained.

"Because of his hair"

"Yeah… I mean look at Bucket Head. I saw his hair. I knew he'd annoy me. I was right. He's been annoying me for years now."

"Does Aiden's hair annoy you?"

"No… it bores me, which is worse."

"D'ya like my hair?" Anna asked.

"Yeah… it's really pretty."

Anna sighed. She looked at Kazuya.

"This girl won't mean anything to you? And you'll be smart?" Anna asked. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but better to give permission than to fight him on it and lose him again.

"Yeah… of course."

"I guess, if the situation calls for it, you can do what you need to do. I'd rather you didn't, though," Anna told him.

"I know. I appreciate you're loyalty. You'll be rewarded. Huge diamond. I promise," Kazuya stated.

Anna smiled. There was a time when nothing would've pleased her more. She wished that were still the case, but she couldn't help but be concerned about what a marriage with Kazuya would be like. But then, she still loved him. She couldn't help herself.

"Alright, Kazuya. Do what you need to do," Anna relented.

Kazuya smiled his cold smile.

"And if you need help with the ponytail guy, just let me know," Anna offered.

Kazuya laughed his strange mechanical laugh.

"Knew I brought you back on board for a reason. I think this could work. Lee didn't have the stomach for this. He's kind of a goody-goody. It's a shame he can't be more evil genius."

"Let's don't talk about him anymore for right now, Sweetie," Anna purred, wrapping her slender arms around Kazuya's neck.

Kazuya wrapped his arms around her waist and then kissed her. Anna smiled, grabbed Kazuya by the collar and pulled him down on top of her on the alley of one of the Skeeball machines. Kazuya smirked at her momentarily, but then resumed kissing her instead of making a comment.

Anna closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around Kazuya and forbade herself from thinking that she might be making a monumental mistake.

Jun Kazama looked over at her ex-boyfriend with disdain as he flirted shamelessly with the stewardess pushing the beverage cart. The even more revolting part was that she seemed to be open to the flirtation. Jun tried to look out the window and not pay attention to what was going on two seats to her left, but when Lei almost ordered a third mai tai she finally had to step in.

"No third drink," Jun stated quietly.

Lei looked over, clearly annoyed, and the stewardess appeared surprised. Apparently she hadn't realized that they were together.

"Apparently my colleague doesn't think I ought to have a third drink… just Sprite then," Lei said, smiling at the pretty Chinese stewardess. She smiled back and handed him a Sprite and then scribbled something down on a cocktail napkin and handed it to him before resuming her rounds with the beverage cart.

"I don't care what you do when you're not working, but when we are, you need to focus."

"We're not there yet," Lei pointed out.

"No, we're not, but we will be soon and you won't be showing up drunk and useless," Jun argued.

Lei rolled his eyes.

Jun's blood boiled. Lei Wulong never failed to infuriate her. Ever since they had broken up a year ago, irritating her seemed to be his prime goal in life. She had almost gone to their supervisor and told him they could no longer work on cases together, but surprisingly Lei was a competent agent. A different partner might be less annoying, but perhaps not as effective.

"You can't tell me what to do anymore. Sorry," Lei told her sarcastically, putting his earphones back on and turning on his Walkman.

Jun decided to just turn away and let it go. She wanted to rail at him, but she knew he was prepared. She knew that he had trained hard for the tournament and studied the files. Worse still, she knew he would do anything in his power to keep her safe.

For the last hour of the flight, Jun sat quietly with her eyes closed. She still hated flying. No matter how many times Lei had responded to her concerns by telling her that she was exponentially more likely to die in a car crash rather than a plane crash, somehow she didn't find that comforting. Taking deep breaths, Jun began to go over the details of the case again in her mind. Allegedly, mysterious billionaire and owner of the Mishima Zaibatsu, Heihachi Mishima, was accidentally killed two years ago by his son at the first King of the Iron Fist Tournament. Since that time, the son, Kazuya Mishima, had been the CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu. In spite of public promises that the Zaibatsu would be focusing on developing innovative medical technologies, two years later it appeared that Mishima had lied. If anything the Zaibatsu was even more committed to developing military technology, including nuclear weapons. The latest intelligence suggested that the Zaibatsu had recently begun conducting strange genetic experiments on animals. After almost a year of back and forth between Interpol and the Japanese government, the latter finally elected to ask Interpol for assistance in opening an investigation into the affairs of the Mishima Zaibatsu. The Japanese government had been reluctant to do so because they had initially trusted Kazuya Mishima. They believed that he would put an end to the Zaibatsu's extralegal activities, but instead it appeared that Kazuya and his adopted scientist-turned-Vice President brother, Lee Chaolan, were engaged in even more unsavory activities than Heihachi had been. It had just turned into a giant fiasco and the Japanese government was looking for a way to save face. Enter Interpol.

As the plane began its descent, Jun closed her eyes tighter and gripped the armrests on either side of her chair. She could feel herself beginning to perspire. She took a deep breath in and relaxed slightly as she felt Lei's right hand cover her left.

"It's alright… almost done," Lei told her, earphone pushed back from his right ear. She could hear that he was listening to Bon Jovi incredibly loudly. How was he not deaf? Jun just gave him a slight smile and nodded before closing her eyes again and putting her head back. As soon as the plane slowed to a stop on the runway, Lei lifted his hand from hers.

"You okay?" Lei asked.

"Yeah, fine- never going to enjoy it, but I'm fine, thanks," Jun replied.

"I know," Lei said sympathetically.

Sometimes he wasn't such a douche. Sometimes she wondered if their break-up had been a mistake, but then he typically said or did something asinine minutes later to prove that it had made the right choice. This time was no exception.

"So… the thing tonight. Is it mandatory or what?"

"The party?" Jun asked incredulously. She couldn't believe that he was even asking this.

"Yeah."

"Yes, of course," Jun replied firmly. How could he even ask something so stupid?

"Wonder how late it's going to be going on. Jiao said she's only going to be in town for one night," Lei declared, taking his carry-on bag out of the overhead compartment without bothering to hand Jun hers.

"The stewardess?" Jun asked.

"Yeah," Lei replied.

"Forgot about her. You don't have time," Jun told him, grabbing her own bag out of the overhead compartment as soon as Lei had gotten out of the way.

"Again, I don't take orders from you," Lei said.

"True enough, but the people who you do take orders from won't appreciate you tomcatting around when you should be working."

"But in between work… that'll be fine," Lei argued.

Jun shook her head. There was no 'in between work' on a mission.

"If it were up to you, nobody would ever have any fun," Lei stated.

"When there's work to be done, no," Jun agreed. How could he be so irresponsible?

Lei just shook his head and began walking down the aisle towards the exit. Jun wanted to gag when Jiao the stewardess gave Lei an extra wide smile and a little wave. She thought she was going to throw up when he winked back at her. Winking was so creepy. Who did that?

"After the party can I get a piece of that?" Lei asked, leaning towards her as they walked.

"Do what you need to do," Jun replied curtly as she walked towards the baggage claim. Typical man, letting his dick do the thinking.

"I need to get laid. It's been weeks," Lei told her.

Jun didn't answer as she plucked her suitcase off of the baggage carousel. She hadn't had sex since they had broken up a year ago. She had no sympathy.

"Besides, once the other guests leave the party, there is anything else to be done. We can't hang around indefinitely," Lei argued, as he grabbed his suitcase.

"No, but we could score an invite to an after-party."

Lei laughed.

"I guess that's where my coolness would come in handy. Don't know how you plan to get invited," Lei cracked.

"Don't worry about me. I know how to handle myself," Jun replied, wishing that he couldn't get under her skin like he did. In reality, though, she couldn't help but wonder the same thing. Sure, she was cute, but Kazuya Mishima and Lee Chaolan didn't seem to go for cute women. The file had contained pictures of the Williams girls and Jun had become instantly certain that she couldn't turn either of their heads. She would just do what she could to be pretty and interesting. Captivating. She needed to be captivating.

"Yeah. Just remember it's a party. People will be there to have fun," Lei said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jun demanded.

"Don't suck all the fun out of it. You're like a fun vampire. You go around sucking the fun out of things."

"I most certainly do not," Jun argued. How dare he? She was fun.

"One time you and I got into a fight because I wasn't taking a game of miniature golf seriously enough. But I maintain there was no other way I could get that ball up that frog's tongue. I _had_ to pick it up," Lei argued.

Jun shook her head as they approached the rental car counter. That wasn't true. She had gotten the ball up there without picking it up. And she wasn't a fun vampire.

After obtaining the keys to their respective rental cars, Jun and Lei walked silently toward the rental car lot. When located her dark blue Volvo, she stopped walking.

"That's your ride? It's boring."

Jun shrugged. She wasn't in the mood to engage.

"Alright… well. After we check in, we'll make a plan to compare notes after the party," Lei stated, watching Jun load her suitcase into the trunk without offering to help her.

"Sounds fine," Jun replied, relieved that they weren't going undercover as a couple again. The less time she had to spend with him the better.

"Alright. See you in a bit, then," Lei declared, continuing to walk further down the lot. Jun started the car and began driving towards the hotel, contemplating the evening to come.

Lei Wulong had never been to a party at someone's house with a coat check. He mainly got invited to the type of parties where you throw your coat on someone's bed and then had the joy of rifling through a pile of strange coats at the end of the night. One time he had ended up with someone else's coat because it wasn't exactly light in the room and he hadn't been exactly sober, but it had been a nice coat so he had kept it. Finders keepers, right? Lei thought so, anyway.

Searching the room for Jun, Lei was surprised that she didn't appear to be there yet. It would've been like her to be early to a party. Continuing his sweep of the room, Lei identified the by one. He had studied the roster. He knew who all of them were. He hadn't seen Kazuya Mishima yet, but he saw Lee Chaolan at the bar in his white tuxedo. Nina Williams stood just a few feet behind him talking to Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. He watched Lee turn around and hand Phoenix and Law each a glass of beer and then turn back around to grab his own brandy and a whiskey sour for Williams. The four continued to talk just a few feet away from the bar.

Lei walked up to the bar and ordered a martini, no olive, and listened to their conversation.

"So then I said, 'I don't know how you clowns got my bike on the roof, but you better take it down or I'm gonna bust your face,'" Paul stated.

"Did they take it down?" Nina asked.

"Oh yeah. They know not to mess with Paul Phoenix," Paul replied triumphantly.

"Then why did they mess with you in the first place if they know?" Law asked.

"Marshall, don't be a dick," Paul requested.

"It's kind of a good question," Nina confirmed.

"They thought it would be funny," Paul replied with a shrug.

"Oh, I see how it is. When I say something, I'm a dick, but when the pretty girl says it, she's gets a real answer," Marshall joked.

"That's life," Lee replied, and then did his own scope of the room. When their eyes met, Lei wondered if Lee had been looking for him. When Lee subsequently excused himself from his group of friends and walked over, he supposed he had been.

"Hello, Lee Chaolan," Lee declared, extended his hand to Lei. Lei shook his hand, observing the manicured nails with a mixture of amusement and disgust.

"Lei Wulong," Lei replied.

"Welcome to the Tournament. I trust you've had no problems settling in at your hotel?"

"No. None at all."

"Excellent. Would you like to join us?" Lee asked, motioning to his friends by the bar. Lei watched as Paul Phoenix sniffed a cracker with caviar on it and then offered it to Marshall Law. Law shrugged and ate it.

"Sure, thanks," Lei replied, walking over with his martini sans olive in hand.

"Are you going to serve real food at this party or what? Because that stuff that you had me eat that tasted like salami paste was goose liver and the thing I just picked up was fish eggs."

"You seemed to like the pâté before you knew what it was," Lee replied with a shrug, swirling his brandy and taking a sip.

"Because it tasted like salami paste."

"Which isn't a real food," Nina pointed out and then extended her hand to Lei, "Nina Williams, by the way."

"Lei Wulong," Lei replied, shaking Nina's hand.

"And that's Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. I would've provided introductions, but somebody was complaining about the food," Lee stated, giving Paul a smile.

"Sorry," Paul replied.

"Out back by the pool the caterers are doing barbeque. Does that meet your approval?"

"Now, normally, I would say yes, but if I did, it would probably turn out that you were barbequing squid or something," Paul replied.

"No… there's all kinds of meat- a lot of its American style barbeque because that's what Kazuya likes. We do have squid, though… somebody's walking around with calamari."

"Gross," Paul proclaimed.

"What the hell do you eat, anyway?" Nina asked.

"Mostly, Kraft macaroni and cheese, corn nuts, and beer," Marshall Law replied.

"That's not true. I eat healthy stuff. I drink a lot of protein shakes."

"When you're training, yeah, but the rest of the time… throw in the Big Mac and you've got the Paul Phoenix diet," Law insisted.

"No… you forgot that I eat your crappy Asian fusion cuisine," Paul pointed out.

"It's not crappy. Some of the recipes aren't ready yet, is all. Don't be a douche," Law demanded.

"I won't if you won't," Paul retorted.

"Fine," Law replied.

Lei shook his head. Why wasn't Jun there yet? Why wasn't she listening to insanely stupid arguments occurring between grown men?

"Shall we go out back and have some barbeque now?" Lee asked, seemingly bored with his friends' inane arguing.

"Sure… did you know barbeque was on the menu? Your tux is white," Nina pointed out, threading her arm through Lee's and proceeding through the house to the backdoor leading out to the porch and then down the steps to the pool.

"Yes… I'm quite capable of eating without making a giant mess," Lee replied.

"Good barbeque always makes a giant mess," Paul opined. Law just shrugged. Lei wondered if these people were always this boring. He wished he could skip out and meet up with Jiao the stewardess.

"And there's our host, Kazuya Mishima, in the hot tub with Anna Williams and Jun Kazama. Glad to see he's taking hosting duties seriously," Lee declared bitterly.

Lei looked over and saw Jun in a black bikini drinking a glass of champagne and talking to Mishima and the very foxy Anna Williams.

Walking past the caterers manning the grills and barbeque pit, Lee led the group to the hot tub.

"Kazuya, good to see you're enjoying yourself," Lee declared sarcastically, "This is Lei Wulong."

"Kazuya Mishima," Kazuya stated, extending his hand to Lei rather formally for a man sitting in a hot tub. "And these two lovely ladies are Anna Williams and Jun Kazama."

"It's a pleasure," Lei stated as Anna waved and Jun only smiled.

"Jun, those two fools are Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. Paul and Law, Jun Kazama," Kazuya introduced.

"Hi," Paul declared.

"You're just going to let him call us fools?" Law asked.

"It's his party," Paul replied with a shrug.

"There, now I've hosted. Anything else needs hosting?" Kazuya asked Lee.

"No, I suppose not," Lee replied poutily, running his left hand through his silver hair. This guy was off the charts obnoxious.

"Nina," Anna called.

"Yeah?" Nina asked.

"Can you ask the caterer to get us more champagne?"

"I'm sure they'll be around," Nina replied, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but we want it now," Anna replied in a whiny tone.

"I'll deal with it," Lee said.

"That sounds like a host thing… do you need me to do it?" Kazuya asked sarcastically.

"Not at all," Lee replied, clearly vexed.

"Good parties run themselves. I don't need to lead everyone in the hokey-pokey," Kazuya stated.

"No, but-"

"Ladies, are you having a good time?"

"Yeah," Anna replied. Jun nodded.

"Bucket-head, you having fun?"

"Sure, but I was promised barbeque."

"It's over there," Kazuya stated, nodded towards the caterers just outside of the pool area. "You don't need my help, right? Because I could hop out and make you a plate."

"No thanks, I'm surprisingly self-sufficient," Paul replied.

"I'm surprised as anyone," Kazuya responded with a grin.

"You're such an ass," Paul replied.

"I know. Seriously, though, if anybody needs anything, this is where I am. Lee… bring me a hot dog, extra mustard?" Kazuya asked.

"Sure… anything else besides the champagne and the hot dog?" Lee asked, looking from Kazuya to Anna to Jun. Jun shook her head vehemently, clearly afraid to further impose on Lee while Anna looked like she was thinking.

"Are there ribs over there? Do you think I could get some of those?" Anna asked.

"Yup. Anything else?"

"I don't want champagne with a hot dog. How about a beer?" Kazuya asked.

"Fine. We done?" Lee asked again, looking from Kazuya to Anna to Jun again. Jun shook her head even more vigorously. Lei almost wanted to slap her. She would've been better off making equally obnoxious demands rather than seeming embarrassed by the Kazuya and Anna's rudeness. But that was Jun- she never wanted to impose. She was the type of girl who never claimed to have a preference, but instead expected you to read her mind. It was maddening. A lot about their relationship had been maddening. He hadn't been terribly sorry to see it end when she had inadvertently totaled his car by slamming on the brakes to save a rabbit that had been crossing the road without checking the rearview mirror to see if there had been another vehicle behind her. After they had been rear-ended, he had begun a cathartic relationship-ending rant beginning with the question 'What the fuck is wrong with you?' that had finished with his face being slapped. Still she looked good in that bikini and he would have much rather spent time with her than continuing to follow around Lee Chaolan as he strutted back over to the area where the caterers were attending to the barbeque. Lee gave some orders and three of them quickly sprang into action. Lee took another sip of his brandy while the caterers did his bidding.

"Man, if Kazuya were my brother, I'd tell him to go fuck himself," Paul declared as Lee made his way back over to the group.

"I do. Routinely. It doesn't make a difference. Anyway, please eat," Lee stated, sounding decidedly more bossy than genial. His friends obeyed without questioning. Lei lingered, sipping his martini.

"So, you work for your brother, right? That has to be kind of hard," Lei fished. Lee gave him a calculating stare, seemingly thinking about his answer.

"I've had worse bosses."

"Your father?" Lei asked, wondering what the response would be to that. His own fact finding mission had turned up some interesting information about Lee's relationship with his late guardian.

"Not at all," Lee replied, locking eyes with him, obviously perturbed at the mention of Heihachi Mishima.

"Still- if he acts like that all the time," Lei persisted, nodding towards Kazuya.

"I can handle myself. And him. And anybody else who comes along to fuck with us," Lee replied pointedly, draining the last of his brandy.

Lei just smiled at Lee. He wondered if he was being so blatantly obvious on purpose as Nina Williams returned to his side with a plate piled high with ribs, cornbread, baked beans, collard greens, and macaroni salad.

"Can we go in and sit at a table?" Nina asked, balancing her plate on top of her whiskey sour.

"Sure. Can I take your glass for you?" Lee asked.

"Sure, thanks," Nina replied, allowing her friend to take the glass from her so she would have an easier time with her plate. "Aren't either of you eating?"

"Sure," Lei replied. What the hell? He had just ascertained that the Mishimas' counterintelligence was good enough to uncover an Interpol infiltration. Why not reward himself with some barbeque. It smelled incredible.

Lee shook his head as Paul and Law approached with their plates.

"Why don't you three go in and find a table. I'll be along with Lei momentarily," Lee stated.

"Alright. We'll see you inside," Nina replied, leading Paul and Law inside the house.

As Lei stood in line for the barbeque, contemplating whether or not he'd get out of this lame party early enough to still call Jiao, something he saw sparked his interest. He looked over at Lee and noticed that he was fuming again and Kazuya walked over to him with Jun on his arm and the beer Lee had obtained for him in his hand.

"Jun wants to see my bowling alley. She wants to bowl. How about that?" Kazuya asked.

Lei strained to hear Lee's undoubtedly snarky response to Kazuya's statement, but he had replied too quietly. Jun was doing her best not to look at him, but she was almost trying too hard not to look in his direction. She did look good in that black bikini. He wondered what she had been able to find out so far. It would be nice to know if coming to this party was as big of a waste of time as he thought it would be. He watched Lee wait for him sullenly. He wished he could go bowling with Kazuya instead.

Jun was sitting on the bed in Lei's hotel room in her pajamas and slippers watching as he combed his hair. It was almost 1AM, but he was still going out to meet that stewardess. Unbelievable.

"So… did you have a productive evening?" Lei asked, putting his hair back into a ponytail.

"I bowled a 140," Jun replied with a slight smile.

"Great. Very productive. That should help a lot," Lei responded sarcastically as he rifled through his shaving kit to find his cologne.

"Anyway, I'm going out with him tomorrow night after the first bracket matches have concluded."

"Fine, but what did you find out tonight?"

"I don't know… that he's a good bowler? He got a 194. I don't know, Lei. He didn't really talk much even when we were alone together and when we were with Anna Williams, she never shut up. So I guess I didn't really learn that much about Kazuya Mishima. I found out he's not fighting in brackets in the Tournament. He's only going to challenge the victor of all of the previous matches."

"Like his father did two years ago."

"Yeah."

"So, you're going on a date with him?"

"Yeah… it's part of the investigation."

"You don't like him? Not even a little?" Lei asked, spraying his neck with the cologne.

Jun felt herself beginning to blush.

"I don't know. I guess he's sort of handsome and exciting, but he's not exactly nice or a great conversationalist. I wouldn't date him if not for the investigation, if that's what you're asking," Jun lied. He was just so different from any guy she had ever dated and every guy she had dated had sucked, so admittedly she was intrigued. Then again, he was also a bit unsettling, which should have repelled her, but instead she found herself drawn to him.

"I know I'm no longer your boyfriend and that most of the time you barely like me, but I can't stress enough that you need to be careful with this man. The files state that he very probably murdered his own father. He's involved in numerous nefarious plots. My own research corroborates a brief statement in the files pointing to a drastic personality change in the past few years. People who have known him for a while question his sanity," Lei told her, turning around to look at her.

"Which people?" Jun asked.

"I talked to a lot of people who've had business dealings with the Zaibatsu both before and after Heihachi died. A good number of them claimed that Kazuya used to be a helluva nice guy. Almost everybody thought Lee was a pretentious little shit, but I digress."

"Yeah. How'd that go?" Jun asked.

"He's a douche. Nina Williams is hot. Paul Phoenix is a moron and Marshall Law would be cool if he weren't friends with Paul Phoenix," Lei replied.

"Fine, but what did you find out?" Jun asked.

"Nothing much really. The main thing I found out was that Lee was onto to me, which means they're onto us. All the more reason to be really careful. I mean, we're planning to break into the Zaibatsu anyway. It might not even be necessary for you to go out with him."

Jun crossed her arms and didn't say anything. She wished she could indignantly roar 'You'd like that, wouldn't you!?' with justification. However, she knew he was right. She knew what he was telling her made sense and was in her own best interest, but there was something so compelling about Kazuya. She had no intention of breaking the date.

"You know I'm right. Because it's me saying it, you don't have to acknowledge that. I just wish you'd reconsider. Especially when I think so little could be gained through such a measure," Lei argued, putting his jacket back on.

"I'll think about it," Jun replied, getting up from the bed.

"No you won't. Even though you know what I'm saying makes sense, you're still attracted and intrigued and you're going to go and you're not going find shit out while also distracting you from real investigative opportunities. I hope that's the worst thing that happens to you," Lei stated, closing the door to the room behind him.

"I appreciate your concerns, but I can take care of myself," Jun said, walking Lei to the elevator.

"Normally, I'd have complete confidence of that, but with him… Jun, he's dangerous," Lei ruled.

"I'll be careful," Jun promised.

Lei smiled a little.

"You look tired. There's a stain on your boob."

"Chocolate ice cream from the night we broke up. Your fault," Jun replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Girls gorge themselves on ice cream and guys get fall down drunk. Interesting," Lei declared.

"You got fall down drunk?" Jun asked. The elevator dinged and the doors open.

"Yeah. It was a rough day," Lei replied, boarding the elevator.

"Be smart," Jun requested.

"Always," Lei replied.

Jun sighed as the elevator doors shut. She walked back to her room all the way down the hall. Lei was probably right. Going out with Kazuya Mishima was probably a bad idea, but then she really wanted to. And for the wrong reasons, which made it all the more stupid and dangerous. Jun sighed as she lay back on the bed. She was going to go… she just had to be smart and everything would be fine, wouldn't it?

"I like your black tux better than the white tux. This get-up makes you look albinoish," Kazuya related. They were sitting at one of the high top tables down in Kazuya's basement gameroom.

"Thanks for the input. I'll let you know if I start to care," Lee replied. He was tired and didn't want to fight with Kazuya. He wasn't even going to mention what a shitty host Kazuya had been. He was just done.

"You're welcome. Anyway, how'd things go with Wulong tonight?"

"I didn't let him out of my sight from the moment he arrived, so he wasn't off by himself snooping or anything, but he was agonizingly boring. We left it with the possibility of doing something again one night after the Tournament, but quite frankly, I don't want to do anything with him. He's boring. He was blatantly looking at Nina's boobs. He was enjoying Paul's stories too much."

"If she didn't want people to look, she'd wear something else and I thought Bucket-Head was your friend," Kazuya pointed out, taking a sip of water.

"He is, but he tells the most boring stories- like a five year-old that doesn't know what to leave in and take out. Sometimes he gets confused about the order and has to go back. It was a real mess," Lee explained.

"Well, do what you can to go out with him again. The more time of theirs we can account for the less time we know that they're trying something stupid," Kazuya stated.

Lee sighed and ran his left hand through his hair. He supposed Kazuya was right.

"You can't die of boredom. You'll be alright," Kazuya assured him, smiling icily.

"I know. How was your evening?" Lee asked.

"Fine. Jun Kazama is absolutely enamored with me. I can tell. She's got nice pheromones. Better than Anna's," Kazuya declared plaintively.

"You can smell her pheromones under the gallon of perfume she wears?"

"Yes. Just like I can smell the vodka you drink at work when you think you're being sly. I'm thinking about sending you to rehab once the Tournament's over," Kazuya stated.

"No," Lee replied, shaking his head. There was no way.

"As your boss and … well, I don't know what the exact term would be for what we are or have been to each other is, but I think it's time. You've gotten a lot worse since you came back from New York."

"I haven't. This is bullshit. You want me out of the way. You're planning something," Lee accused. He couldn't remember having ever been angrier at Kazuya than he was at this moment.

"No, I'm not. I just don't want you to drink yourself to death. And I got you to quit smoking, so I figured that maybe it was time to tackle your other addiction."

"No. You don't get to decide this."

"You drink at work. I'm your boss-"

"I'll quit then," Lee snapped.

"That's ridiculous. You're not being rational. If you could see things from my point of view-"

"No… fucking bullshit. Maybe back when you cared about me, I would've believed that and if you're father had ever tried that shit, maybe I would've even gone for him- I don't know. I have a feeling he'd never ask. But for you to tell me now that I should go to rehab because you're concerned about me? I know you're not, so drop the act. What are you really up to? If it's in the best interest of the company, I could take a short vacation. I haven't been to Bahamas in ages," Lee declared, attempting to sound coy and casual while his heart beat hard in his ears.

"I'm just concerned about you. Really," Kazuya replied, his cold, dead eyes saying otherwise.

"That bad?" Lee asked, wondering what atrocity he planned to commit in his absence.

Kazuya waited a moment, appraising Lee with those empty eyes and chuckling softly to himself.

"You know, you've got no poker face whatsoever… but chess? Very good. I had almost forgotten how good."

"I'm a lot of things, but dumb isn't one of them," Lee confirmed.

"I know."

"You know, instead of plotting and sniffing at pheromones, you should be considering what you're going to do when Heihachi shows up."

"I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to kill him," Kazuya declared.

"What if you can't?"

"I assure you, I can. Unlike you, I don't have any feelings or regard left for the man. I used to think that I hated him before the Devil Gene thing, but I didn't know what hate really was back then. Really, I wanted him to like me and respect me, which is pathetic and weak. I'm glad I'm no longer that person."

"I miss that person," Lee replied.

Kazuya shrugged.

"I've been better to you than anybody and you know it. It was the best I could do."

Lee nodded. He supposed that was true.

"But you need to stop harping on this Heihachi thing. It's pretty obvious you have some unresolved feelings for him. That doesn't change my feelings towards him. It doesn't change that I'm going to kill him. You need to understand that. If you can't, then you might as well leave."

"I'll give it some thought," Lee replied, crossing his hands on the table.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kazuya stated. He sounded almost sincere.

"Why? Without me in the way, you can run the Zaibatsu however you want."

"I do already. I listen to you because I want to. I value your opinion. You've kept me from making impulsive, bad decisions. Maybe again. Who knows?" Kazuya declared with a shrug.

"If whatever you were thinking of doing was so bad that you were going to throw me in rehab to keep me out of your way, then yeah, probably," Lee replied.

"You do drink too much, though."

Lee shrugged. He supposed it was true.

"You do. Want to bowl?" Kazuya asked.

Lee shook his head.

"Come on. I even got you a purple, left-handed bowling bowl and matching shoes."

"No, thanks. I'm tired and I'm sure Anna's waiting for you upstairs and I don't like bowling anyway," Lee replied, standing up.

"That's a shame."

"Perhaps, but the Tournament starts tomorrow. I need some rest," Lee stated.

"I miss when you used to do things with me," Kazuya declared, catching Lee somewhat by surprise.

"Well, now Anna's back."

"It's not the same," Kazuya replied.

Lee sighed. He wracked his brain trying to think of what Kazuya might be playing at or trying to gain by such an admission. However, when the left-handed Skeeball machine at the end of the newly installed bank of games caught his eye, he accepted that perhaps Kazuya did miss him in his own twisted way.

"Fine. I'll bowl with you for a little bit, but I'm going to have some beer and you're not going to say shit," Lee declared, taking off his white jacket and hanging on the back of his chair.

"I'll go get the shoes," Kazuya declared, with a smile so close to his old smile that Lee was taken aback for a moment. "Help yourself to the beer… go behind the bar- it's PBR on tap. Or some Miller High Life in the fridge in bottles or Coors Light in cans."

"Really? That's gross," Lee proclaimed, taking a glass and filling it with Pabst from the tap, the least revolting of the choices provided.

"It's a bowling alley… what were you expecting? Champagne? A craft beer? No. Suck it. There's pretzels, too. And a popcorn machine. Do you know how to work it?" Kazuya asked excitedly.

"No," Lee replied. He hadn't heard such enthusiasm in Kazuya's voice since before he had been attacked.

"Get out of the way. I'm making popcorn," Kazuya declared.

Lee stepped aside and sipped his beer as Kazuya began to work on the popcorn.

"Kazuya, are you feeling alright?" Lee asked.

"Yeah," Kazuya answered, measuring popcorn kernels intently.

"Are you drunk?"

"No," Kazuya replied, measuring some oil with a different measuring cup.

"Because you don't seem like yourself… well, yourself recently," Lee clarified.

"You haven't spent any time with me by choice since June," Kazuya replied, playing with the buttons on the front of the machine.

"Yeah, well, I disagreed with your actions and you should've known I would have never had you killed," Lee stated.

"Yeah," Kazuya agreed, watching the popcorn machine, evidently waiting for something to happen.

Lee paused. Where was the rage and the coldness? It had to be more than bowling and popcorn causing this unprecedented thaw.

"You're sure you're fine?" Lee pressed, sipping his beer again.

"Yeah. I'm going to annihilate you though," Kazuya declared, slapping Lee's arm hard as the popcorn began popping. "Cool, huh? I acquired a skill."

"Yeah… that's cool, Kaz," Lee replied, watching the popcorn cascade down from the metal canister of origin. He began to wonder if he were dreaming.

"I know, right?" Kazuya asked, elbowing him in the ribs.

Lee frowned as he watched the popcorn pile up at the bottom of the machine. He couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with Kazuya.


End file.
